Lock structure of vehicle flip-up seat

Abstract

To provide a lock structure of a vehicle flip-up seat which hardly generates faults due to a lower rail.SOLUTION: A lock structure RK of a vehicle flip-up seat keeps a seat rotatably supported by an outer upper rail 5 to be capable of being locked on an inner upper rail 5 by a lock part 7 and unlocked at a specified slide position. The lock part 7 has a hook engagement member 1 of the inner upper rail 5, a hook plate 73 on the seat side to lock by engagement with a hook engagement member 1 upon rotation in a first direction, a link unit for rotating the hook plate 73 in a second direction reverse to the first direction, and a sensor 511 lowering by the rotation. An inner lower rail 82 has a notch 82e which the sensor 511 approaches in the presence of the seat only at the specified slide position, so that the hook plate 73 rotates to be unlocked upon the rotation of the link unit after the sensor 511 has approached the notch 82e.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking structure for a vehicle flip-up seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a pop-up seat that slides relative to the vehicle cabin floor and can be flipped up laterally and stored in a side wall of the vehicle cabin. Lower rails are installed on the vehicle cabin floor, and a plate-shaped hook is attached to an upper rail that engages with the lower rail and slides, allowing it to rotate about an axis extending in the width direction. A U-shaped striker protrudes from the bottom of the seat, and the hook rotates and engages with the striker, locking the seat so that it cannot be flipped up. A hole is drilled in the bottom wall of the lower rail at a predetermined position within the sliding range where the seat can be flipped up, and as the hook rotates, a portion of it enters the hole, allowing it to rotate to the point where it is unlocked. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3287453 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the plate-shaped hook is formed from a thick plate to withstand impact. Furthermore, the hole provided at the bottom of the lower rail is a large hole that is wide and long in the longitudinal direction to allow the hook to enter. This creates a problem: it is difficult to make the bending strength of the hole-provided portion of the lower rail equal to that of the bending strength of other portions. Furthermore, small items that fall into the lower rail may fall further through the large hole to the floor below, making them virtually impossible to retrieve. Therefore, a locking structure for a vehicle flip-up seat is desired that is less susceptible to such lower rail-related problems.

[0005] Therefore, the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat that is less likely to cause problems caused by the lower rail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention has the following configuration. 1) The vehicle pop-up seat is rotatably supported on the side of the outer upper rail that engages with and slides on the outer lower rail, and is lockably detachable from the inner upper rail that engages with and slides on the inner lower rail by a locking section provided on the inner side, and is unlockable at a predetermined sliding position; The locking portion is a hook engaging member attached to the inner upper rail; a hook plate that is rotatably provided on the vehicle flip-up seat side and that rotates in a first rotation direction to engage with the hook engaging member and enter a locked state; a link unit that rotates the hook plate in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction; an unlocking detector that descends in conjunction with the rotation of the link unit; and the inner lower rail has a hole or a notch into which the unlocking detector can enter when it descends only when the vehicle pop-up seat is in the predetermined slide position, This is a locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat, in which the hook plate rotates in the second rotation direction and the lock is released when the link unit rotates after the unlock detector enters the hole or notch. 2) A locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat described in 1), which has a base plate that rotates in a third rotation direction in conjunction with the rotation of the link unit, and has a push piece portion that protrudes downward at the tip end where the third rotation direction is downward, and the push piece portion is the lock release detector. 3) A locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat described in 1), which has a rod-shaped pin that is supported so as to be able to move up and down in a position extending in the vertical direction and that descends in conjunction with the rotation of the link unit, and the pin is the lock release detector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an effect is obtained in that defects caused by the lower rail are less likely to occur. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating the flip-up operation of a seat ST locked by a lock structure RK for a flip-up vehicle seat according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a left side view showing a locked state of a lock structure RK1, which is a first mode of the lock structure RK. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S3-S3 in FIG. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a left side view illustrating the unlocking operation in the lock structure RK1. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a first diagram for explaining the unlocking operation. [Figure 4C] FIG. 4C is a second diagram for explaining the unlocking operation. [Figure 4D] FIG. 4D is a third diagram illustrating the unlocking operation. [Figure 4E] FIG. 4E is a fourth diagram illustrating the unlocking operation. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged left side view illustrating a locked state in a lock structure RK2 which is a second mode of the lock structure RK. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a first enlarged left side view for explaining the unlocking operation in the lock structure RK2. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a second enlarged left side view illustrating the unlocking operation in the lock structure RK2. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged left side view for explaining the operation of transitioning from the unlocked state to the locked state in the lock structure RK2. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the lock structure RK2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] One embodiment of the locking structure for a flip-up seat for a vehicle of the present invention will be described using the seat ST and the locking structure RK. The locking structure RK will be described as a first embodiment of the locking structure RK1 and a second embodiment of the locking structure RK2. In these descriptions, the up, down, left, and right directions are defined by the arrows shown in FIG. 1. The left and right directions correspond to the left and right directions of an occupant facing in the forward direction of the vehicle, with the front being the front of the paper in FIG. 1 and the rear being the back of the paper in FIG. 1. The left and right directions also correspond to the width direction of the vehicle and the seat ST.

[0010] The seat ST has a seat cushion ST1 and a seat back ST2. The seat cushion ST1 has a seat cushion frame ST1f therein, and the seat back ST2 has a seat back frame ST2f therein. The seat back frame ST2f is rotatable for reclining around an axis (not shown) extending left and right relative to the seat cushion frame ST1f.

[0011] The seat ST is installed in the vehicle interior so as to be slidable in the fore-and-aft direction and can be stored in the right wall of the interior by flipping up sideways. As shown in Fig. 1, an inner lower rail 82 (hereinafter simply referred to as the lower rail 82) is installed in the floor FL of the interior so as to extend in the fore-and-aft direction and to be substantially embedded in the floor FL. The right side of the floor FL is one step higher as a wheel well FLa, and an outer lower rail 81 is installed on top of the wheel well FLa and to extend in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0012] An upper rail STb, which is an outer upper rail, is engaged with the outer lower rail 81 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and a hinge STa is attached to the upper end of the upper rail STb, which is responsible for rotation about a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction. A seat cushion frame ST1f housed in the seat cushion ST1 is connected to the hinge STa. This allows the seat cushion frame ST1f to rotate relative to the upper rail STb via the hinge STa. Specifically, the seat cushion ST1 rotates about the hinge STa between a storage position shown by a solid line in which the seat cushion ST1 is upright and stored within the right wall (not shown) and a use position shown by a dashed-dotted line in a generally horizontal position (see arrow DR1).

[0013] A leg panel STc that rotates and rises around its base is attached to the left end portion, which is the inner side of the underside of the seat cushion frame ST1f. The leg panel STc is a plate-shaped member extending perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1, and is locked against rotation in a posture extending in the vertical direction when the seat cushion ST1 is in the use position. A locking portion 7 included in the locking structure RK is provided at the tip of the leg panel STc. The locking portion 7 is detachably attached to a hook engaging member 1 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) of the upper rail 5, which is an inner upper rail that is engaged with the lower rail 82 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The locking portion 7 is lockable when attached to the hook engaging member 1. The locking structure RK includes the locking portion 7 and the hook engaging member 1. The upper rail 5 is engaged with the lower rail 82 by being embedded within it.

[0014] (Lock structure RK1) Next, the structure and operation of the lock structure RK1, which is a first mode of the lock structure RK, will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a left side view showing the lock structure RK1 of the seat ST in a locked state, and is a view corresponding to the arrow Y1 in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view at the S3-S3 position in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a left side view showing the lock structure RK1 in an unlocked state.

[0015] First, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower rail 82 and the hook engagement member 1 attached to the main rail 5a of the upper rail 5 engaged with the lower rail 82 will be described in detail. As shown in the cross section of FIG. 3, the lower rail 82 has a generally U-shaped configuration with an open top and a bottom wall 82a, side wall 82b, and top wall 82c. The bottom wall 82a is fixed to an underfloor panel FLp disposed under the floor of the living room. A pair of side wall 82b are formed to rise upward from both left and right edges of the bottom wall 82a. The top wall 82c is formed to extend in a eaves-like manner, approaching each other in the left-right direction from the tips of the pair of side wall 82b. The tips of the pair of top wall 82c are separated in the left-right direction, forming a gap 82d. A running rail 82b1 protruding inward is formed in a lower portion of the inner surface of each side wall 82b. The upper surface of the traveling rail portion 82b1 is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the inside.

[0016] The upper rail 5 is generally embedded in the space V inside the lower rail 82 and accommodated so as to be movable in the front-to-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper rail 5 has a main rail 5a and a pair of hook engagement members 1 attached to the front and rear of the main rail 5a. A roller 2 is attached to the front and rear of the main rail 5a. As shown in FIG. 3, the roller 2 has a shaft portion 2b extending in the left-to-right direction and disk-shaped ground contact portions 2a formed on the left and right ends of the shaft portion 2b and having a larger diameter than the shaft portion 2b. The pair of ground contact portions 2a roll on a pair of traveling rail portions 82b1, respectively, so that the upper rail 5 moves smoothly within the space V inside the lower rail 82 while automatically aligning itself in the left-to-right direction.

[0017] The upper rail 5 is configured by attaching hook engagement members 1 to the front and rear ends of the main rail 5a so as not to interfere with the rollers 2. The two hook engagement members 1 have the same shape but are attached facing in opposite directions, so the following description will focus on the hook engagement member 1 attached to the rear end as a representative example.

[0018] The hook engaging member 1 is made of, for example, resin, and is attached to the upper rail 5 by a well-known attachment structure such as a snap fit structure (not shown). In other words, the hook engaging member 1 may be made of metal or the like, and attached to the upper rail 5 by fastening screws or the like.

[0019] 2, the hook engagement member 1 has a base 11 that is disposed in the space V inside the lower rail 82 and is shaped to avoid interference with the roller 2, and a protruding portion 12 that protrudes forward like a canopy from the top of the base 11. The protruding portion 12 extends in the longitudinal direction to an upper position of the main rail 5a. A space V1 is formed below the protruding portion 12, with the protruding portion 12 serving as the ceiling. The hook engaging member 1 is accommodated so as to be almost buried in the lower rail 82, but the upper surface of the rear part of the base 11 protrudes slightly above the upper surface of the lower rail 82.

[0020] The locking structures RK1 include hook engaging members 1 and are disposed at the front and rear of the upper rail 5, each having a locking portion 7. Since the locking structures RK1 are symmetrical from front to rear, the locking structure RK1 disposed at the rear will be described as a representative example with reference to Figure 2. The pair of locking structures RK1 are linked by a link unit 6 disposed in the center in the front-to-rear direction, allowing the state transition between the locked state and the unlocked state.

[0021] In the rear locking structure RK1 in Fig. 2, a first axle 74, a second axle 75, a third axle 61, and a fourth axle 53 are provided as fixed axles on the leg panel STc. The first axle 74 is located slightly below the center of the leg panel STc in the vertical direction, and the second axle 75 is located at a position spaced rearward and downward from the first axle 74. The third axle 61 is located above the first axle 74, at the center of the pair of front and rear locking structures RK1 in the longitudinal direction. The fourth axle 53 is located near the lower edge of the leg panel STc.

[0022] The link unit 6 is configured to include a link plate 62 and a link bar 64 . Link plate 62 is a long, thin metal plate-like member, and its longitudinal center is supported by third shaft portion 61, which has an axis extending in the left-right direction, so as to be rotatable about that axis. Link plate 62 has bar connecting portions 631, 632 equidistant in the longitudinal direction from third shaft portion 61, and one end of long, thin link bars 64f, 64 is rotatably connected to bar connecting portions 631, 632, respectively.

[0023] A locking portion 621 is formed to extend forward at a first end portion, which is the upper end in Figure 2, of the link plate 62. A locking hole 621a is formed in the locking portion 621, and one end portion of a release wire 65 is locked in the locking hole 621a. The release wire 65 extends rearward and upward, and the other end portion is connected to a lock release lever (not shown).

[0024] 2 by a biasing member (not shown) (see arrow FR2). As will be described later, when an occupant or the like unlocks the lock structure RK1, the release wire 65 is pulled rearward and upward by operating the lock release lever against the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR2.

[0025] The locking portion 7 is configured to have an intermediate plate 72, an anti-rattle plate 76, and a hook plate 73. The intermediate plate 72 is formed in a plate shape having a base 721, a connecting arm 722 extending upward from the base 721 in FIG. 2, a connecting portion 723 formed at the tip of the connecting arm 722, and a protruding portion 724 protruding upward and rearward in a tapered manner. A restricting portion 721a extending downward from the protruding portion 724 is formed in a substantially arc shape centered on the axis of the first shaft portion 74. The base 721 is supported by the first shaft portion 74 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction, and is formed in a shape that extends rearward.

[0026] The rear end of the link bar 64 is rotatably connected to the connecting portion 723. As a result, when the link plate 62 rotates around the third shaft portion 61, the relay plate 72 rotates around the first shaft portion 74 via the link bar 64.

[0027] The anti-rattle plate 76 is a plate-like member that is disposed on the left side of the relay plate 72 (the front side of the paper in FIG. 2) and is stacked integrally with the relay plate 72. The anti-rattle plate 76 extends rearward from the first shaft portion 74 with roughly the same width, and its tip serves as a pin contact portion 76a that is formed in a roughly arc shape with the axis of the first shaft portion 74 as its center.

[0028] The hook plate 73 has a plate-shaped base 731. The base 731 is supported by a second shaft 75 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction. In FIG. 2, the base 731 has a first extending portion 731a extending upward from the second shaft 75 and a second extending portion 731b extending rearward and downward. The hook plate 73 is biased in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 (see arrow FR1) by a biasing member (not shown).

[0029] The tip side of the second extending portion 731b of the hook plate 73 is bent in a sickle shape to form a hook portion 732 that tapers downward and extends forward in Figure 2. In the locked state shown in Figure 2, the hook portion 732 rotates clockwise (first rotation direction) and enters from above into the gap 82d (see also Figure 3) between a pair of top wall portions 82c of the lower rail 82 and enters the space V1 inside the protruding portion 12 of the hook engaging member 1. The counterclockwise direction, opposite to the first rotation direction in Figure 2, is the second rotation direction, and the hook plate 73 is unlocked by rotating in the second rotation direction.

[0030] In the locked state shown in FIG. 2, the upper front corner 734 of the first extending portion 731a of the hook plate 73 abuts against the restricting portion 721a of the relay plate 72, restricting further counterclockwise rotation. This maintains the locked state. The first extending portion 731a is provided with a protruding pin 733 that protrudes to the left (toward the viewer in the drawing). In the locked state, the protruding pin 733 abuts against the pin abutment portion 76a of the anti-rattle plate 76. With this structure, the protruding pin 733 abuts against the anti-rattle plate 76, preventing rattle of the hook plate 73, and rotation of the hook plate 73 in the unlocking direction is restricted by the relay plate 72.

[0031] 2, when the seat ST is flipped up, i.e., the leg panel STc is moved upward, the counterclockwise rotation of the hook plate 73 is restricted by the relay plate 72, and the hook portion 732 is caught by the protruding portion 12, restricting the upward movement of the leg panel STc. In other words, the locked state is maintained.

[0032] The hole engagement unit 51 includes a base plate 510 and a contact pivot piece 513. The base plate 510 is a generally triangular plate-like member that extends in the front-rear direction and has a large vertical width at the center in the front-rear direction. The front end of the base plate 510 is supported by a fourth shaft portion 53 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction. A push piece 511 extending downward is formed at the rear end of the base plate 510. A rotation restriction pin 512 that protrudes leftward (toward the viewer in the drawing) is provided at a portion of the base plate 510 slightly rearward from the approximate center. The base plate 510 rotates in the clockwise direction (third rotation direction) in FIG. 2 in conjunction with the rotation of the link unit 6. The push piece 511 is formed to protrude downward from the tip of the rear side of the base plate 510, where the third rotation direction is downward.

[0033] The base plate 510 is biased counterclockwise along the axis of the fourth shaft portion by a biasing member (not shown) (see arrow FR3), and a restricting structure (not shown) restricts counterclockwise rotation from the rotation position shown in Fig. 2. Therefore, the base plate 510 can rotate clockwise from the posture shown in Fig. 2 against the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR3.

[0034] A rotation shaft 52 having an axis extending in the left-right direction is provided on the upper part of the central portion in the front-rear direction of the base plate 510. A contact rotation piece 513 is rotatably supported on the rotation shaft 52. The contact rotation piece 513 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 2 by a biasing member (not shown) (see arrow FR4). The rear lower edge of the contact rotation piece 513 abuts against a rotation restriction pin 512 of the base plate 510, thereby restricting further rotation.

[0035] The upper edge of the abutting pivot piece 513 is an abutting portion 513a having an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the front. The abutting portion 513a is adapted to come close to the link plate 62 in the locked state. The abutting rotation piece 513 is rotatable clockwise against the biasing torque indicated by the arrow FR4.

[0036] A notch 82e, which is also shown in Fig. 3, is formed in the top wall 82c of the lower rail 82. When the seat ST is in a slide position where the lift-up lock can be released, the notch 82e is located approximately directly below the push piece 511 that protrudes thinly downward from the rear end of the base plate 510, allowing the push piece 511 to enter. As shown in Fig. 3, a portion of the top wall 82c, for example on the left side, of the lower rail 82 is cut out to form the notch 82e.

[0037] (Unlocking operation in locking structure RK1) Next, the operation of unlocking the lock structure RK1 from the locked state shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference mainly to FIG. 2 and FIGS. 4A to 4E.

[0038] When the occupant operates a release lever (not shown) against the biasing torque (arrow FR2) to unlock the vehicle, the release wire 65 is pulled as shown by arrow DR3. As a result, the link plate 62 rotates clockwise by a certain angle from the first position P1 (shown by the two-dot chain line in the locked state) to the second position (shown by the two-dot chain line) (see arrow DR4). This movement to the second position is indicated by arrow DR4a in the enlarged view of FIG. 4B. In FIG. 4B, this rotation causes the link plate 62 to interfere with the abutment portion 513a (see FIG. 2) of the abutment rotation piece 513 of the hole engagement unit 51, causing the abutment rotation piece 513 to rotate counterclockwise. The abutment rotation piece 513 is restricted from rotating counterclockwise relative to the base plate 510, and the abutment portion 513a has an inclined surface. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4C, the abutment rotation piece 513 and the base plate 510 are pressed down together and rotate clockwise around the fourth shaft portion 53 (see arrow DR5). When the base plate 510 rotates clockwise, if the notch 82e of the lower rail 82 is not in a position corresponding to the rotating and descending push piece 511, the push piece 511 will come into contact with the upper surface of the top wall 82c of the lower rail 82, restricting further rotation of the base plate 510. At this point, the restriction on rotation of the hook plate 73 by the relay plate 72 is still maintained in the same manner as in Figure 2.

[0039] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the seat ST is in a slide position where it can be flipped up, the notch 82e is in a position where the pushing piece 511, which rotates and descends, can enter. Therefore, the pushing piece 511 enters the notch 82e, allowing the base plate 510 to further rotate clockwise (see arrow DR52 in FIG. 4A). When the pushing piece 511 rotates enough to enter the notch 82e, the link plate 62 passes through the front side of the abutting rotating piece 513 and continues to rotate, reaching the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 4A (see arrow DR52). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4D, the base plate 510 is returned to the locked state position shown in FIG. 2 by the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR3 (see FIG. 2) (see arrow DR6 in FIG. 4D).

[0040] As described above, the link plate 62 is allowed to further rotate clockwise from the second position P2 by the push piece 511 entering the notch 82e, and the link bar 64 moves further forward (see arrow DR42). As a result, the relay plate 72 and the anti-rattle plate 76 also rotate counterclockwise by that amount (see arrow DR53). As a result, the restricting portion 721a of the relay plate 72 rotates upward and retreats, allowing the hook plate 73, which had been restricted by the restricting portion 721a, to rotate counterclockwise.

[0041] In this way, the hook portion 732 rotates counterclockwise around the second shaft portion 75 and leaves the space V1 (see arrow DR54). That is, the hook portion 732 is released from the hooking of the protruding portion 12 of the hook engaging member 1 and enters an unlocked state. In the unlocked state, the hook portion 732 is allowed to rise, so that the seat ST can be lifted. In this way, the push piece 511 functions as an unlock detector that detects whether the sliding position of the seat ST is a predetermined unlockable position.

[0042] 4, when the release wire 65 is pulled and the link plate 62 rotates clockwise, the link bar 64f connected to the bar connecting portion 631 is pulled rearward (see arrow DR41). This causes the relay plate 72 to rotate clockwise (see arrow DR53), which works in conjunction with the rear locking structure RK1 to release the lock.

[0043] When the release wire 65 is pulled and the lock is released, the occupant releases his / her hand from the release lever. This releases the release wire 65, and the link plate 62 rotates counterclockwise due to the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR2, attempting to return to the state shown in Fig. 2. At this time, as shown in Fig. 4E, the tip of the link plate 62 abuts against the already returned abutment rotation piece 513 from the front (see arrow DR4c), but because the abutment rotation piece 513 is allowed to rotate clockwise, it rotates in that direction (see arrow DR6a), and movement due to the clockwise rotation of the link plate 62 is permitted.

[0044] When the occupant again attempts to rotate and lower the seat ST to lock it, the kickstand (not shown) abuts against the upper surface of the base 11 of the hook engagement member 1 first. By abutting against the upper surface of the base 11, the kickstand rotates the hook plate 73 clockwise against the biasing torque indicated by the arrow FR1. When the hook plate 73 rotates clockwise, the hook portion 732 at the tip enters the space V below the protruding portion 12 of the hook engagement member 1, resulting in the locked state shown in FIG. 2. At this time, the base 721 of the intermediate plate 72 is configured (not shown) to be allowed to rotate counterclockwise relative to the connecting arm 722 when a torque exceeding a predetermined value is applied. Therefore, the protruding pin 733 comes into contact with the anti-rattle plate 76 integrated with the relay plate 72, pushes it up, and passes through. After passing through, the relay plate 72 and the anti-rattle plate 76 rotate clockwise, and a locked state is reached in which the counterclockwise rotation of the hook plate 73 is restricted, as shown in Figure 2.

[0045] The first mode of the lock structure RK described above in detail provides a structure that allows the user to select whether to unlock the lock or not simply by forming a small hole or notch (such as the notch 82e described above) that allows the entry of the push piece 511, which is the narrow portion at the tip of the base plate 510 that rotates relative to the lower rail 82. Such a small hole or notch may be formed in the bottom wall 82a instead of the top wall 82c, depending on the shape of the base plate 510 and the setting of the rotation range.

[0046] Therefore, with the lock structure RK1, which is the first embodiment of the lock structure RK, the hole or notch that selects whether or not to allow unlocking can be formed extremely small in the lower rail 82, so that the bending strength of the portion where the hole or notch is formed can be made substantially equal to the bending strength of other portions. Also, there is almost no problem in which small items that fall into the lower rail 82 fall further under the floor and become impossible to retrieve. In this way, with the lock structure RK1, which is the first embodiment of the lock structure RK, problems caused by the lower rail 82 are unlikely to occur.

[0047] (Second aspect) Next, a lock structure RK2, which is a second embodiment of the lock structure RK, will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 8. Fig. 5 is an enlarged left side view illustrating the locked state of the lock structure RK2. Fig. 6 is a first enlarged left side view illustrating the unlocking operation of the lock structure RK2. Fig. 7 is a second enlarged left side view illustrating the unlocking operation of the lock structure RK2. Fig. 8 is an enlarged left side view illustrating the operation of transitioning from the unlocked state to the locked state of the lock structure RK2.

[0048] The structures of the lower rail 82 and hook engagement member 1 in the lock structure RK2 are substantially the same as those in the lock structure RK1. Similar to the lock structure RK1, the lock structure RK2 is provided in reverse front-to-rear directions at the front and rear ends of the main rail 5a of the upper rail 5. Below, we will explain the lock structure provided at the rear end as a representative example, and the link unit 4 that links the operation of the pair of lock structures RK2 provided at the front and rear.

[0049] 5, the leg panel STc is provided with a first shaft 74, a second shaft 75, and a third shaft 41 as fixed shafts. The first shaft 74 is located slightly below the center of the leg panel STc in the up-down direction, and the second shaft 75 is located at a position spaced rearward and downward from the first shaft 74. The third shaft 41 is located above the first shaft 74, at the center position in the front-rear direction of the pair of front and rear locking structures RK2.

[0050] The link unit 4 includes a link plate 42 , a link bar 64 , and a push portion 45 . The link plate 42 is a thin, elongated metal plate-like member, and its longitudinal center is supported by a third shaft portion 41 having an axis extending in the left-right direction so as to be rotatable about the axis. The link plate 42 has bar connecting portions 431, 432 at equal longitudinal distances from the third shaft portion 41, and one end of an elongated link bar 64 is rotatably connected to each of the bar connecting portions 431, 432. A locking portion 421 is formed at a first end portion, which is the upper end in FIG. 5, of the link plate 42 so as to extend forward. A locking hole 421a is formed in the locking portion 421, and one end of a release wire 65 is locked in the locking hole 421a. The release wire 65 extends rearward and upward, and its other end is connected to a lock release lever (not shown). The link plate 42 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 5 by a biasing member (not shown) (see arrow FR5). As will be described later, when an occupant or the like unlocks the lock structure RK2, the release wire 65 is pulled rearward and upward by operating the lock release lever with a force that resists the biasing torque indicated by the arrow FR5.

[0051] The link plate 42 has an extending portion 422 that extends obliquely upward and rearward from a longitudinal center portion. A connecting portion 452 is formed on the extending portion 422, and a plate-shaped push plate 451 that constitutes the push portion 45 is attached to the connecting portion 452 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending laterally. The push plate 451 has a bent portion 453 at the front upper edge of the connecting portion 452 that is bent to the right (toward the depth of the page) and abuts against the end surface of the link plate 42. The push plate 451 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 5 by a biasing member (not shown) (see arrow FR6). Therefore, counterclockwise rotation of the push plate 451 is restricted by the bent portion 453 abutting against the upper edge of the push plate 451. That is, in the normal state, the push plate 451 maintains the relative position with respect to the link plate 42 shown in FIG. 5.

[0052] The push plate 451 extends rearward and downward in FIG. 5 with approximately the same width, and its tip is formed as a substantially arc-shaped abutment portion 451a with the connecting portion 452 as its center.

[0053] The lock structure RK2 has a lock part 7 that has the same configuration and operation as the lock part 7 of the lock structure RK1. That is, the lock part 7 is configured to include a first shaft part 74, a second shaft part 75, an intermediate plate 72, an anti-rattle plate 76, and a hook plate 73.

[0054] The lock structure RK2 also has a pin lifting section 3 between the lock section 7 and the link unit 6. As shown in Fig. 5, the pin lifting section 3 is configured to have a standing column section 31, a pin 32, and a coil spring 33. The leg panel STc has a cut-and-raised section STc1 that is cut and raised horizontally so as to rise at an angle of 90 degrees to correspond to the pin lifting section 3. A hole is formed in the cut-and-raised section STc1 that penetrates vertically, and the standing column section 31 of the pin lifting section 3 is inserted into this hole and supported in a position extending in the vertical direction so as to be movable up and down.

[0055] The pin 32 has a pin base 322 and a pin body 321. The upright portion 31 is integral with the pin base 322, and the pin body 321 extends downward from a rearward position on the underside of the pin base 322. A downwardly extending rod-shaped guide portion 323 is formed at a forward position on the underside of the pin base 322. A coil spring 33 is compressed and interposed between the guide portion 323 and a folded portion STc2 partially formed at the lower edge of the leg panel STc. Therefore, the upright portion 31 and the pin 32 are biased upward by the repulsive force of the coil spring 33 (see arrow FR7). As a result, the pin 32 is normally at its highest position, where the pin base 322 abuts against the raised portion STc1 and upward movement is restricted. The pin 32 is lowered by the application of a downward force against the repulsive force of the coil spring 33, as shown by arrow FR7.

[0056] A notch 82e, which is also shown in Figure 3, is formed in the top wall 82c of the lower rail 82. When the seat ST is in a slide position where the lift-up lock can be released, the notch 82e is located directly below the pin body 321, allowing the pin body 321 to enter. As also shown in Figure 3, a portion of the top wall 82c, for example on the left side, of the lower rail 82 is cut out to form the notch 82e.

[0057] In the locked state of the lock structure RK2 shown in FIG. 5, the upper end of the upright portion 31 of the pin lifting portion 3 is located close to the contact portion 451a of the push plate 451 of the push portion 45.

[0058] (Unlocking operation in locking structure RK2) Next, the operation of unlocking the lock structure RK2 from the locked state shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.

[0059] In FIG. 6, when the occupant operates a release lever (not shown) against the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR5 in FIG. 5 to release the lock, the release wire 65 is pulled as indicated by arrow D61. This causes link plate 42 to rotate clockwise (see arrow D62). When link plate 42 rotates together with push plate 451 by a certain angle (see arrow D63), it interferes with the upper part of upright portion 31 of pin lifting section 3. When release wire 65 is further pulled against the biasing force of coil spring 33 (see arrow R7 in FIG. 5), push plate 451 pushes upright portion 31 downward, causing the entire pin 32 to descend (see arrow D64).

[0060] When the seat ST is not in a slide position where it can be flipped up, even if the pin body 321 of the pin 32 descends, it abuts against the top wall portion 82c of the lower rail 82, preventing further descent. In this state, when the link plate 42 is in the rotated position, the corner portion 734 of the hook plate 73 is still abutting against the restricting portion 721a of the base portion 721 of the relay plate 72, so the hook plate 73 does not rotate and remains locked.

[0061] In contrast, when the seat ST is in a slide position where it can be flipped up, the notch 82e is located directly below the pin body 321, so the pin body 321 further descends and enters the notch 82e. Accordingly, the release wire 65 is further pulled, and the link plate 42 is therefore allowed to further rotate clockwise (see arrow D63 in FIG. 7).

[0062] As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the push plate 451 is released from interference with the upright portion 31 and moves forward, and the upright portion 31 returns to the locked position due to the biasing force of the coil spring 33 (see arrow FR7 in FIG. 5). Meanwhile, the link bar 64 is pulled further forward, causing the base 721 of the intermediate plate 72 to rotate sufficiently counterclockwise (see arrow D68). This releases the contact between the corner portion 734 of the hook plate 73 and the base 721 of the intermediate plate 72, allowing the hook plate 73 to rotate counterclockwise (see arrow D69). The hook portion 732 then leaves the space V1 of the hook engagement member 1, and the lock is released. In this way, the pin body 321 of the pin 32 functions as an unlock detector that detects whether the sliding position of the seat ST is a predetermined unlockable position.

[0063] 6, in the front locking structure RK2, when the release wire 65 is pulled, the link plate 42 rotates clockwise, which pulls the link bar 64f connected to the bar connecting portion 431 rearward. This causes the relay plate 72 of the front locking structure RK2 to rotate clockwise, unlocking the front locking structure RK2 in conjunction with the rear locking structure RK.

[0064] When the lock is released by pulling the release lever, the occupant releases the release lever. As a result, as shown in Fig. 8, the pull on the release wire 65 is released, and the link plate 42 rotates counterclockwise (see arrow D72) due to the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR2 (see Fig. 5) and returns to the state shown in Fig. 2. At this time, the push plate 451 abuts from the front side against the upright portion 31 of the pin lifting unit 3, which has already returned. In contrast, since the push plate 451 is allowed to rotate clockwise, it rotates in that direction (see arrow D73), moves over the upright portion 31, and moves rearward, continuing to rotate counterclockwise together with the link plate 42 (see arrow D74).

[0065] As a result, the link bar 64 and the connecting portion 723 are pushed rearward (see arrow D741), and the base 721 of the relay plate 72 attempts to rotate clockwise, but is kept in a state where its rotation is restricted by abutting against the hook plate 73 which is in the unlocked position (this state is not shown in Figure 8).

[0066] Then, when the occupant tries to rotate and lower the seat ST again to lock it, the kickstand (not shown) first abuts against the upper surface of the base 11 of the hook engagement member 1, causing the hook plate 73 to rotate clockwise against the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR1 (see FIG. 5) (see arrow D75 in FIG. 8). As a result, the hook portion 732 at the tip enters the space V below the protruding portion 12 of the hook engagement member 1, and the seat is locked. As a result, the base 721 of the intermediate plate 72 is allowed to rotate clockwise (see arrow D76), and the seat is locked in a state in which counterclockwise rotation of the hook plate 73 is restricted as shown in FIG. 5.

[0067] The lock structure RK2 described above in detail provides a structure that allows the user to select whether to unlock the lock or not simply by forming a small hole or notch (such as the notch 82e described above) in the lower rail 82 that allows the pin body 321, which is a thin rod-shaped member of the pin lifting unit 3 that moves up and down, to enter. Such a small hole or notch may be formed in the bottom wall 82a instead of the top wall 82c, depending on the shape of the pin lifting unit 3 and the extent to which the lifting range is set.

[0068] 9, the lock structure RK2 has a through hole 5a1 formed in the main rail 5a of the upper rail 5 directly below the pin body 321, and a through hole 82a1 that is concentric with the through hole 5a1 when the seat ST is in a slide position where it can be flipped up, formed in the bottom wall portion 82a of the lower rail 82. As a result, the pin body 321 of the pin 32 pushed down by the push plate 451 enters the through hole 82a1 of the lower rail 82 through the through hole 5a1 (arrow DR91). This entry may cause the hook plate 73 to rotate and release the hook.

[0069] As described above, with the lock structure RK2, which is the second embodiment of the lock structure RK, the hole or notch that selects whether or not to allow unlocking can be formed extremely small relative to the lower rail 82, so the bending strength of the area where the hole or notch is formed can be made substantially equal to the bending strength of other areas. Also, there is almost no risk that small items that fall into the lower rail 82 will fall further below the floor and become impossible to retrieve. In this way, with the lock structure RK2, which is the first embodiment of the lock structure RK, problems caused by the lower rail 82 are unlikely to occur.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and procedure, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0071] The materials of the respective members are not limited to those mentioned above. They may all be made of metal, or members having sliding parts or the sliding parts may be made of a resin with high slidability, such as polyacetal resin.

[0072] Vehicles include not only vehicles such as automobiles and trains, but also ships, aircraft, drones, and other flying objects, and refer to any moving object that can carry people. Furthermore, the directions of up, down, left, right, front and rear in the above description are merely examples defined for the convenience of description, and the orientation of the flip-up seat ST relative to the vehicle is not defined and is free. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1 Hook engagement member 11 Base 12 Overhang 2. Laura 2a Grounding part 2b Shaft part 3-pin lifting section 31 Standing pillar section 32-pin 321 Pin body 322 Pin base 323 Guide part 33 Coil spring 4 link units 41 Third axis 42 Link plate 421 Locking part 421a Locking hole 422 Extension 431,432 Bar connection part 45 Push part 451 Push Plate 451a Contact part 452 Connecting part 453 Bending part 5 Upper Rail 5a Main rail 5a1 Through hole 51 hole engagement unit 510 base plate 511 Push piece 512 Rotation control pin 513 Contact rotation piece 513a Contact part 52 Rotating shaft 53 Fourth axis 6 Link Unit 61 Third axis 62 Link plate 621 Locking part 621a Locking hole 631,632 Bar connection part 64,64f Link Bar 65 Release Wire 7 Lock Section 72 Relay plate 721 Base 721a Regulatory Division 722 Connecting Arm 723 Connecting part 724 Protrusion 73 Hook Plate 731 Base 731a 1st extension 731b 2nd extension 732 Hook part 733 Protruding pin 734 Corner 74 First shaft 75 Second shaft 76 Anti-rattle plate 76a Pin contact part 81 Outer lower rail 82 Inner lower rail (lower rail) 82a Bottom wall 82a1 Through hole 82b Side wall part 82b1 Running rail section 82c Ceiling wall section 82d Gap 82e Notch FL floor FLa Wheelhouse FLp Underfloor Panel P1 1st position P2 2nd position RK, RK1, RK2 lock structure ST seat STa Hinge STb upper rail STc Leg Panel STc1 Cut-out section STc2 Folded part ST1 seat cushion ST1f seat cushion frame ST2 seat back ST2f seat back frame V,V1 space

Claims

1. The vehicle pop-up seat is rotatably supported on the side of an outer upper rail that engages with and slides on an outer lower rail, and is lockably detachable from the inner upper rail that engages with and slides on an inner lower rail by a locking section provided on the inner side, and is unlockable at a predetermined sliding position; The locking portion is a hook engaging member attached to the inner upper rail; a hook plate that is rotatably provided on the side of the vehicle flip-up seat and that rotates in a first rotation direction to engage with the hook engaging member and enter a locked state; a link unit that rotates the hook plate in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction; an unlocking detector that descends in conjunction with the rotation of the link unit; and the inner lower rail has a hole or a notch into which the unlocking detector can enter when it descends only when the vehicle pop-up seat is in the predetermined slide position, A locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat, in which the hook plate rotates in the second rotation direction and the lock is released when the link unit rotates after the unlock detector enters the hole or notch.

2. 2. The locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat as described in claim 1, further comprising a base plate that rotates in a third rotation direction in conjunction with the rotation of the link unit, and that has a push piece portion formed at its tip end that protrudes downward, the third rotation direction being a downward direction, and the push piece portion being the lock release detector.

3. 2. A locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat as described in claim 1, further comprising a rod-shaped pin that is supported so as to be movable up and down in a vertically extending position and that descends in conjunction with the rotation of the link unit, the pin being the unlock detector.

Images