Armrest of vehicle seat and vehicle seat

Abstract

To reduce weight without deteriorating workability of a fastening work of a stepped bolt.SOLUTION: In an armrest 30, an armrest frame 32 embedded in an armrest pad 40 has a bottomed cylindrical shaft section 34 fitted to a right side portion of a through hole 42 of the armrest pad 40. A bolt hole 36 into which a large diameter section 54B of a stepped bolt 54 is fitted is formed on a bottom wall 34B of the shaft section 34. A cylindrical member 50 formed of resin into a bottomed cylindrical shape is fitted into the shaft section 34. A bolt hole 52 into which the large diameter section 54B of the stepped bolt 54 is fitted is formed on a bottom wall 50B of the cylindrical member 50. In the stepped bolt 54, a male screw formed in a small diameter section 54C is screwed into a weld nut 26 formed on a seat back frame 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to an armrest. [Background technology]

[0002] In the movable armrest of a seat disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a hollow shaft is fixed to a bracket attached to the armrest frame, and the armrest frame is fastened to the seatback frame using a shoulder bolt inserted into the hollow shaft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 64-19356 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above prior art, the hollow shaft (shank) and shoulder bolt are long, so there is room for improvement in terms of weight reduction. In this regard, if the shank and shoulder bolt were shortened, weight reduction could be achieved, but there is a risk that the workability of tightening the shoulder bolt would be reduced.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an armrest for a vehicle seat and a vehicle seat that can be made lighter without compromising the workability of fastening a shoulder bolt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The armrest of a first aspect of a vehicle seat includes an armrest pad made of foam and having a through hole that penetrates the seat in the left-right direction, an armrest frame that is embedded in the armrest pad and has a bottomed, tubular shaft that is fitted into the inside portion of the through hole in the left-right direction of the seat with its opening facing outward in the left-right direction of the seat, and a frame body that extends radially from the shaft, and has a bolt hole formed in the bottom wall of the shaft, a tubular member that is formed of resin and has a bottomed, tubular shape that fits into the inside of the shaft with its opening facing outward in the left-right direction of the seat and has a bolt hole formed in the bottom wall, and a shoulder bolt that fastens the shaft to the seat back frame, with a large diameter portion on the base end that fits into each of the bolt holes and a small diameter portion on the tip end that has a male thread that is formed in the seat back frame and is threaded into a female thread that is formed in the seat back frame.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the vehicle seat armrest, an armrest pad made of a foam has a through-hole penetrating in the left-right direction of the seat. In an armrest frame embedded in the armrest pad, a cylindrical shaft with a bottom is fitted into the inner portion of the through-hole in the left-right direction of the seat with its opening facing outward in the left-right direction of the seat, and a frame main body extends radially from the shaft. A cylindrical member made of resin and having a bottom is fitted into the inside of the shaft with its opening facing outward in the left-right direction of the seat. A large-diameter portion on the base end of a stepped bolt is fitted into bolt holes formed in the bottom wall of the shaft and the cylindrical member, respectively, and a male thread formed in a small-diameter portion on the tip end of the stepped bolt is threaded into a female thread formed in the seatback frame. This fastens the shaft to the seatback frame.

[0008] In this armrest, the shaft of the armrest frame can be shortened so that it fits only in the inner portion of the through-hole in the armrest pad in the left-right direction of the seat. Furthermore, the large-diameter portion of the stepped bolt that fits into the bolt hole formed in the shaft and each bottom wall of the tubular member can be shortened to match the thickness of each bottom wall. This allows for weight reduction. Furthermore, when fastening the stepped bolt, the large-diameter portion of the stepped bolt can be guided into the bolt hole in the shaft by fitting the tubular member inside the shaft while the large-diameter portion of the stepped bolt is fitted into the bolt hole in the tubular member. This prevents the workability of the fastening operation from being impaired.

[0009] In the armrest of the vehicle seat of the second aspect, in the first aspect, the frame body is bent in a generally crank shape so that the tip end side is positioned more outward in the left-right direction of the seat than the base end side.

[0010] In the vehicle seat armrest of the second aspect, the shaft of the armrest frame is positioned so as to be biased inward in the seat left-right direction relative to the through-hole of the armrest pad, but the frame body of the armrest frame is bent in a generally crank shape so that the tip end is positioned further outward in the seat left-right direction than the base end, thereby preventing the support of the occupant's arms by the armrest frame from being biased inward in the seat left-right direction.

[0011] The vehicle seat of the third aspect comprises a seat cushion on which an occupant sits, a seat back that supports the back of the occupant, and an armrest of the vehicle seat of the first or second aspect in which the axis portion of the armrest frame is fastened to a seat back frame of the seat back.

[0012] In the vehicle seat of the third aspect, the back of an occupant seated on a seat cushion is supported by a seat back. The seat back frame of the seat back is fastened to a shaft portion of an armrest frame of the armrest. This armrest is the one of the first or second aspect, and therefore the above-mentioned effects can be obtained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] As described above, the armrest for a vehicle seat and the vehicle seat according to the present invention can be made lighter without compromising the workability of fastening the shoulder bolt. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle seat according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the armrest according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the armrest according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 for explaining the tightening operation of the shoulder bolt in the armrest according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an armrest according to a first comparative example. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing an armrest according to a second comparative example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the tightening operation of a shoulder bolt in an armrest according to a second comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A vehicle seat 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Note that in each figure, some reference numerals may be omitted to make the drawings easier to understand. Arrows FR, LH, and UP, which are appropriately depicted in each figure, respectively indicate the front, left, and top of the vehicle seat 10. Hereinafter, when the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions are used in the description, they will indicate directions relative to the vehicle seat 10.

[0016] 1, a vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment includes a seat cushion 12 on which an occupant sits, a seatback 14 that supports the occupant's back, a headrest 16 that supports the occupant's head, and an armrest 30 that supports the occupant's arms. As an example, the armrest 30 is attached to the left side of the seatback 14.

[0017] The seat back 14 has a seat back frame 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) which is a framework member, a seat back pad 27 which is a cushioning material, and a seat back upholstery 28 which is an upholstery material. The seat back frame 20 has a pair of left and right side frames 22 (the right side frame 22 is not shown) which extend in the up-down direction of the seat back 14 on the left and right sides of the seat back 14, an upper frame (not shown) which spans between the upper ends of the left and right side frames 22, and a lower frame (not shown) which spans between the lower ends of the left and right side frames 22. The left and right side frames 22 and the lower frame are made of, for example, press-formed metal plate material, and the upper frame is made of, for example, bent metal pipe material.

[0018] 2 and 3, a bracket 22A for attaching an armrest 30 is provided in the vertical middle of the left side frame 22. A circular bolt insertion hole 24 is formed in the bracket 22A and passes through the bracket 22A in the left-right direction. A weld nut 26 is fixed to the right surface (the inner surface in the left-right direction) of the bracket 22A. This weld nut 26 is disposed coaxially with the bolt insertion hole 24.

[0019] The armrest 30 has an armrest frame 32 which is a framework member, an armrest pad 40 which is a cushioning material, and an armrest covering 44 which is a covering material (not shown in any figures other than Fig. 1). The armrest frame 32 is composed of a cylindrical shaft 34 with a bottom and an axis extending in the left-right direction, and a frame main body 38 which extends radially from the outer periphery of the shaft 34.

[0020] The shaft portion 34 has a cylindrical peripheral wall 34A and a disk-shaped bottom wall 34B. The peripheral wall 34A is formed, for example, from a metal pipe material, and the bottom wall 34B is formed, for example, from a metal plate material in a ring shape. The bottom wall 34B is coaxially fixed to one axial end of the peripheral wall 34A by means of welding or the like.

[0021] The bottom wall 34B has a larger diameter than the peripheral wall 34A, and its outer peripheral portion projects radially outward from the peripheral wall 34A in a flange-like shape. A circular bolt hole 36 is formed concentrically in the center of the bottom wall 34B, penetrating the bottom wall 34B in the axial direction. The diameter of the bolt hole 36 is set smaller than the inner diameter of the peripheral wall 34A.

[0022] The frame body 38 is formed, for example, by bending a metal pipe material into a generally crank shape. One axial end of the frame body 38 is fixed to the outer periphery of the peripheral wall 34A of the shaft portion 34 by means of welding or the like.

[0023] The armrest pad 40 is made of a foam such as urethane foam and has a long, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape. A through-hole 42 with a circular cross section that passes through the armrest pad 40 is formed at one longitudinal end of the armrest pad 40. The armrest pad 40 is positioned such that the axis of the through-hole 42 is aligned in the left-right direction. The armrest covering 44 is formed into a bag shape by sewing together multiple covering pieces made of, for example, cloth, leather, synthetic leather, etc., and is placed over the armrest pad 40.

[0024] The armrest frame 32 is foam-molded integrally with the armrest pad 40, and is thereby embedded in the armrest pad 40. The shaft 34 of the armrest frame 32 is fitted into the inner part in the left-right direction (here, the right side part) of the through-hole 42 with the opening facing outward in the left-right direction (here, the left side), that is, with the bottom wall 34B facing inward in the left-right direction (here, the right side).

[0025] The peripheral wall 34A of the shaft portion 34 fits inside the through-hole 42, and the bottom wall 34B is disposed outside the through-hole 42. The length in the left-right direction of the peripheral wall 34A is set to be approximately half the width in the left-right direction of the armrest pad 40. A resin bushing 46 is attached to the bolt hole 36 formed in the bottom wall 34B. The bushing 46 is formed in a ring shape, and the hole edge of the bolt hole 36 fits into a groove (reference number omitted) formed on the outer periphery of the bushing 46.

[0026] The frame main body 38 of the armrest frame 32 extends toward the other longitudinal end of the armrest pad 40. A resin cover 48 is attached to the tip of the frame main body 38. The cover 48 is formed, for example, in the shape of a stepped cylinder, and its small diameter portion fits inside the tip of the frame main body 38. The edge of the tip of the frame main body 38 is covered by this cover 48.

[0027] A tubular member 50 made of resin and shaped like a cylinder with a bottom is fitted inside the shaft portion 34. The tubular member 50 is composed of a cylindrical peripheral wall 50A, a bottom wall 50B provided at one axial end of the peripheral wall 50A, and a flange 50C provided at the other axial end of the peripheral wall 50A. The tubular member 50 is fitted inside the shaft portion 34 with its opening facing outward in the left-right direction (to the left in this case), i.e., with the bottom wall 50B facing inward in the left-right direction (to the right in this case).

[0028] The outer diameter D2 (see FIG. 4) of the peripheral wall 50A of the cylindrical member 50 is set to be equal to the inner diameter D1 (see FIG. 4) of the peripheral wall 34A of the shaft portion 34. A tapered portion 50A1 is formed at the right end of the peripheral wall 50A, so that the outer diameter of the peripheral wall 50A decreases as it extends to the right. This tapered portion 50A1 serves as a guide surface when fitting the cylindrical member 50 inside the shaft portion 34.

[0029] The bottom wall 50B of the tubular member 50 contacts the bottom wall 34B of the shaft portion 34 from the left side. A circular bolt hole 52 is formed concentrically in the center of the bottom wall 50B, penetrating the bottom wall 50B in the axial direction. This bolt hole 52 is arranged coaxially with the bolt hole 36 formed in the bottom wall 34B of the shaft portion 34. The diameter of this bolt hole 52 is set to be equal to the inner diameter of the bushing 46 attached to the bolt hole 36. The flange 50C of the tubular member 50 contacts the left end of the shaft portion 34 from the left side, and covers the edge of the left end of the shaft portion 34.

[0030] A large diameter portion 54B provided on the head 54A side (base end side) of a stepped bolt 54 is fitted into each of the bolt holes 36, 52. The stepped bolt 54 is arranged with its axial direction aligned in the left-right direction, and the head 54A of the stepped bolt 54 contacts the bottom wall 50B of the tubular member 50 from the left side. The outer diameter of the large diameter portion 54B of the stepped bolt 54 is set to be equal to the diameter of the bolt hole 52 and the inner diameter of the bushing 46.

[0031] A male thread (not shown) is formed on the outer periphery of a small diameter portion 54C provided on the tip side of the shoulder bolt 54. This small diameter portion 54C is inserted into a bolt insertion hole 24 formed in the bracket 22A of the seatback frame 20, and the male thread of the small diameter portion 54C is threadedly engaged with the female thread of the weld nut 26. This fastens the shaft portion 34, i.e., the armrest frame 32, to the seatback frame 20. The armrest frame 32, i.e., the armrest 30, is attached to the seatback 14 so that it can rotate around the stepped bolt 54. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame body 38 of the armrest frame 32 is bent in a generally crank shape so that the tip side is positioned outward in the left-right direction relative to the base end side.

[0032] In the armrest 30 configured as described above, the shaft 34 of the armrest frame 32 is shortened so as to fit into the right side portion of the through-hole 42 of the armrest pad 40. Furthermore, the large diameter portion 54B of the stepped bolt 54, which fits into the bolt holes 36, 52 formed in the shaft 34 and the bottom walls 34B, 50B of the tubular member 50, is shortened to match the thickness of the bottom walls 34B, 50B. This allows the shaft 34 and stepped bolt 54 to be made smaller, thereby contributing to weight and cost reductions.

[0033] Furthermore, when assembling the armrest 30 to the seat back 14, i.e., when fastening the stepped bolt 54, as shown in Figure 4, by fitting the large diameter portion 54B of the stepped bolt 54 into the bolt hole 52 of the tubular member 50 and then fitting the tubular member 50 into the inside of the shank 34, it is possible to guide the large diameter portion 54B of the stepped bolt 54 into the bolt hole 36 of the shank 34. This makes it possible to prevent the workability of fastening the stepped bolt 54 from being impaired even if the shank 34 and the stepped bolt 54 are configured to be short.

[0034] The above effects will be further explained using comparative examples shown in Figures 5 to 7. In Figures 5 to 7, the same reference numerals are used to designate components with functions that are basically the same as those of this embodiment. In the first modified example shown in Figure 5, the shaft 34' of the armrest frame 32' has a length equal to the width of the armrest pad 40, and the frame main body 38' of the armrest frame 32' is U-shaped.

[0035] In addition, in this first modified example, the shoulder bolt 54' is elongated to match the shaft portion 34'. In Fig. 5, reference numeral 56 denotes a resin cover that covers the edge of the shaft portion 34'. In this first comparative example, the armrest frame 32' and the shoulder bolt 54' are enlarged, which increases the mass and manufacturing costs.

[0036] The second modified example shown in Figures 6 and 7 includes an armrest frame 32 and shoulder bolt 54 similar to the armrest frame 32 and shoulder bolt 54 according to the present embodiment, but does not include the tubular member 50 according to the present embodiment. In Figures 6 and 7, reference numeral 60 denotes a resin cover that covers the edge of the shaft portion 34. This second modified example can be made lighter and less expensive than the first modified example.

[0037] 7, in this second modified example, when tightening the stepped bolt 54, it is difficult to fit the large diameter portion 54B of the stepped bolt 54 into the bolt hole 36 of the shank 34, which can result in the stepped bolt 54 being dropped during the tightening process, making the tightening process more complicated. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the tubular member 50 can guide the large diameter portion 54B of the stepped bolt 54 into the bolt hole 36 of the shank 34, improving the workability of the tightening process.

[0038] In this embodiment, the shaft 34 of the armrest frame 32 is positioned to the right of the through-hole 42 of the armrest pad 40, but the frame body 38 of the armrest frame 32 is bent in a generally crank shape so that the tip end is positioned to the left of the base end. This prevents the support of the occupant's arm by the armrest frame 32 from being biased to the right (inward in the left-right direction).

[0039] In the above embodiment, the frame body 38 of the armrest frame 32 is configured to be bent in a generally crank shape, but the shape of the frame body is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the cylindrical member 50 and the bushing 46 are configured as separate members, but this is not limiting, and the cylindrical member 50 and the bushing 46 may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0041] In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the gist thereof. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the scope of the rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10 Vehicle seats 12 seat cushions 14 Seat back 20 Seat back frame 30 Armrest 32 Armrest frame 34 Shaft 34B Bottom wall 36 bolt holes 38 Frame body 40 Armrest Pad 42 Through hole 50 Cylindrical member 50B bottom wall 52 bolt holes 54 Shoulder bolt 54B Large diameter section 54C Small diameter section

Claims

1. An armrest pad made of a foam material and having a through hole penetrating in the left-right direction of the seat; an armrest frame including a cylindrical shaft portion with a bottom that is embedded in the armrest pad and is fitted into an inner portion of the through hole in the seat left-right direction with its opening facing outward in the seat left-right direction, and a frame body that extends radially from the shaft portion, and a bolt hole formed in a bottom wall of the shaft portion; a cylindrical member made of resin and having a bottom, the cylindrical member being fitted to the inside of the shaft portion with an opening facing outward in the seat left-right direction, and having a bolt hole formed in the bottom wall; a shoulder bolt having a large diameter portion on a base end side that fits into each of the bolt holes and a male thread formed on a small diameter portion on a tip end side that is screwed into a female thread formed on the seat back frame, thereby fastening the shank to the seat back frame; An armrest for a vehicle seat.

2. 2. The armrest for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the frame body is bent in a generally crank shape so that a tip end side is positioned more outward in the left-right direction of the seat than a base end side.

3. A seat cushion on which an occupant sits; a seat back that supports the back of the occupant; 3. The armrest of the vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion of the armrest frame is fastened to a seat back frame of the seat back; A vehicle seat comprising:

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