Lock structure of vehicle flip-up seat

The vehicle pop-up seat locking structure addresses lower rail strength disparities and item retrieval issues by using a controlled rotation mechanism with a small through-hole, enhancing structural integrity and preventing item loss.

JP2025145000APending Publication Date: 2025-10-03ADIENT US LLC
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024044962
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-03-21
Publication Date
2025-10-03

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing vehicle flip-up seat locking structures face issues with lower rail bending strength disparities and items falling through large holes, making retrieval difficult.

Method used

A locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat that includes a hook engaging member, link plate, push piece, and unlocking detector, allowing controlled rotation and unlocking via a relay unit with a small through-hole in the lower rail, ensuring equal bending strength and preventing items from falling through.

Benefits of technology

Reduces defects in the lower rail, maintains structural integrity, and prevents small items from falling, while allowing easy unlocking and locking operations.

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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 keeps a seat rotatably supported by an upper rail 5 to be capable of being locked on the 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 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 plate 62 for rotating the hook plate 73 in a second direction reverse to the first direction, and a push piece part 511 lowering by the rotation, and a relay unit 9 having an unlock sensor 93 pushed by the push piece part 511 to lower. A lower rail 82 has a hole 82a1 which the unlock sensor 93 approach in the presence of the seat at the specified slide position, so that the hook plate 73 rotates to be unlocked upon the rotation of the link plate 62 after the unlock sensor 93 has approached the hole 82a1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3
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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 the outer lower rail and slides, and is lockably attachable / detachable to / from the inner upper rail that engages with the inner lower rail and slides, and is unlockable at a predetermined sliding position, by a locking portion provided on the inner side. 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 plate that rotates to rotate the hook plate in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction; a push piece portion that descends in conjunction with the rotation of the link plate; a relay unit provided on the inner upper rail and having an unlocking detector that descends when pushed by the descending push piece; and the inner lower rail has a hole through which the unlocking detector can enter when the vehicle flip-up seat is in the predetermined slide position, This is a locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat, in which the link plate rotates after the unlocking detector enters the hole, causing the hook plate to rotate in the second rotation direction and releasing the lock. 2) A base plate is provided which rotates in a third rotation direction in conjunction with the rotation of the link plate, and the push piece portion is formed to protrude downward from a portion of the base plate where the third rotation direction is a downward direction, The unlock detector is a pin that extends in the vertical direction, and when the upper end is pushed downward by the push piece portion, the lower end protrudes downward from the inner upper rail and reaches the bottom wall portion of the inner lower rail.This is the locking structure of the vehicle pop-up seat described in 1). 3) The locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat according to 2) above, wherein the hole is formed in the bottom wall portion. 4) The base plate has a contact rotation piece that is restricted to rotate in only one direction, When the link plate rotates to rotate the hook plate in the second rotation direction, the link plate abuts against the abutment rotation piece from a first side that rotates in the one direction, The abutment pivot piece converts the force received when the link plate abuts from the first side into a rotational force of the base plate in the third rotation direction, and rotates when the link plate abuts from the second side opposite the first side, thereby maintaining the base plate from rotating, in a locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat described in 2) or 3). [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 the lock structure RK in a locked state. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a left side view showing the unlocking operation in the lock structure RK. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S4-S4 in FIG. 2, showing the relay unit 9 of the lock structure RK. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at the same position as FIG. 4, showing the unlocking operation via the relay unit 9. In FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] One embodiment of the locking structure for a vehicle flip-up seat of the present invention will be described using the seat ST and the locking structure RK. In this description, 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 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 FIG. 2) 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 RK) Next, the structure and operation of the lock structure RK will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 to 5. Figure 2 is a left side view showing the locked state of the lock structure RK. Figure 3 is a left side view showing the unlocking operation of the lock structure RK. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view at the S4-S4 position in Figure 2 showing the relay unit 9 of the lock structure RK. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view at the same position as Figure 4 showing the unlocking operation via the relay unit 9.

[0015] First, the lower rail 82, the main rail 5a provided on the upper rail 5 engaged with the lower rail 82, and the hook engagement member 1 attached to the main rail 5a will be described in detail. In the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 4, the lower rail 82 has a generally U-shaped configuration with an open top, including 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 is 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 spaced apart in the left-right direction, forming a gap 82d. A running rail 82b1 protruding inward is formed at the 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 accommodated in a space V8 inside the lower rail 82 so as to be largely sunk therein and 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 ends of the main rail 5a. A roller 2 is attached to the front and rear ends of the main rail 5a. As shown in FIG. 4, 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 in the space V8 inside the lower rail 82 while self-centering in the left-to-right direction.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, 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). The hook engaging member 1 may also be made of metal or the like, and attached to the upper rail 5 by fastening screws or the like.

[0019] The hook engaging member 1 is disposed in a space V8 inside the lower rail 82, and has a base 11 formed in a shape that avoids 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 a 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 RK 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 RK are symmetrical from front to rear, the locking structure RK disposed at the rear will be described as a representative example with reference to Figure 2. The pair of front and rear locking structures RK are linked by a link unit 6 disposed in the center in the fore-and-aft direction to transition between a locked state and an unlocked state.

[0021] In the rear locking structure RK in Fig. 2, a first shaft 74, a second shaft 75, a third shaft 61, and a fourth shaft 53 are provided as fixed shafts on the leg panel STc. The first shaft 74 is located slightly below the center of the leg panel STc in the vertical direction, and the second shaft 75 is located at a position spaced rearward and downward from the first shaft 74. The third shaft 61 is located above the first shaft 74, at the center of the pair of front and rear locking structures RK in the longitudinal direction. The fourth shaft 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 RK, 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 portion 721, a connecting arm 722 extending upward from the base portion 721, 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 portion 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. This abutment between the anti-rattle plate 76 and the protruding pin 733 prevents 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., when the leg panel STc is moved upward, the counterclockwise rotation of the hook plate 73 is restricted by the relay plate 72, so that the hook portion 732 gets caught on 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 rotation 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 position slightly rearward from the approximate center of the base plate 510. 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 so as to protrude downward from a position on the base plate 510 where the third rotation direction is downward, for example, from the tip end on the rear side.

[0033] The base plate 510 is biased counterclockwise about the axis of the fourth shaft portion 53 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 be rotated clockwise from the posture shown in Fig. 2 by applying a torque that resists the biasing torque shown 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 in the counterclockwise direction 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 counterclockwise 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 can rotate clockwise when a clockwise biasing torque that resists the biasing torque indicated by the arrow FR4 is applied.

[0036] 2, the push piece 511 at the tip passes through the gap 82d in the lower rail 82 toward the main rail 5a of the upper rail 5 located below. A relay unit 9 is attached to the main rail 5a at a position below the push piece 511. This relay unit 9 will be described with reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4.

[0037] The relay unit 9 includes a housing 91, a relay pin 93, and a coil spring 94. The housing 91 is a box-shaped member that is square in top view, open at the top, and has a bottom wall 92. A bottom hole 92a, which is a circular through-hole, is formed in the center of the bottom wall 92. The relay pin 93 has a disk-shaped head 931 and a cylindrical shaft 932 that extends downward from the center of the head 931. The relay pin 93 is housed inside the housing 91 with the head facing up. A flange 933 that protrudes radially around the entire circumference of the shaft 932 is formed near the head 931. The coil spring 94 is a compression spring, and its upper end abuts the underside of the flange 933 and its lower end abuts the bottom wall 92. A retaining portion 92b that protrudes inward is formed at the upper end of the housing 91 so as to cover part of the upper periphery of the head 931 of the relay pin 93. The retaining portion 92b prevents the relay pin 93 from moving upward and from coming off.

[0038] 4, the relay pin 93 is in a natural state in which the lower end of the shaft portion 932 is inserted with slight play into the bottom hole 92a of the bottom wall 92. The housing 91 is attached to the main body rail 5a by an engagement structure (not shown).

[0039] A through-hole 82a1 is formed in the left-right center of the bottom wall portion 82a of the lower rail 82, penetrating with its axis extending in the up-down direction. The position in the front-rear direction where the through-hole 82a1 is formed is a position that is concentric with the bottom hole 92a of the housing 91 when the upper rail 5 is in a predetermined slide position that allows the seat ST to be flipped up. The through-hole 82a1 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion 932 of the relay pin 93, allowing at least the lower end of the shaft portion 932 to enter. A large-diameter relief hole FLp1 is formed in the under-floor panel FLp at a position corresponding to the through-hole 82a1 and concentric therewith.

[0040] The lock structure RK includes the relay unit 9 described above and performs the unlocking operation described next.

[0041] (Unlocking operation in locking structure RK) The operation of unlocking the lock structure RK from the locked state shown in FIG. 2 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.

[0042] In FIG. 3, when the occupant operates a release lever (not shown) against the biasing torque indicated by arrow FR2 (see FIG. 2) to unlock the vehicle, the release wire 65 is pulled as indicated by arrow DR3.

[0043] As a result, the link plate 62 rotates clockwise by a certain angle from position P1, indicated by a two-dot chain line in the locked state, to position P2, indicated by a two-dot chain line (see arrow DR4). This rotation causes the link plate 62 to interfere with the abutment portion 513a of the abutment rotation piece 513 of the hole engagement unit 51, causing the abutment rotation piece 513 to rotate counterclockwise. Counterclockwise rotation of the abutment rotation piece 513 relative to the base plate 510 is restricted, and because the abutment portion 513a has an inclined surface, the abutment rotation piece 513 and the base plate 510 are pushed down together, causing the abutment rotation piece 513 to rotate clockwise around the fourth shaft portion 53 (see arrow DR5). When the base plate 510 rotates clockwise, the push piece 511 formed at the rear end descends and abuts against the head 931 of the relay pin 93 of the relay unit 9, attempting to push it down. The push piece 511 is adapted to come into contact with the center of the head 931 at a position that does not interfere with the pressing portion 92b.

[0044] If the slide position of the seat ST is not a preset position where the seat ST can be flipped up, the through hole 82a1 of the lower rail 82 and the shaft portion 932 of the relay pin 93 are misaligned in the front-to-rear direction, so the shaft portion 932 abuts against the bottom wall portion 82a of the lower rail 82 and cannot be pushed down. In other words, the link plate 62 cannot rotate further clockwise from position P2. When the link plate 62 is in position P2, the relay plate 72 restricts the counterclockwise rotation of the hook plate 73 as shown in FIG. 2, so the locked state is maintained.

[0045] On the other hand, when the slide position of the seat ST is at a preset position where the seat ST can be flipped up, the axis of the relay pin 93 and the axis of the through hole 82a1 approximately coincide, allowing the shaft portion 913 of the relay pin 93 to enter the through hole 82a1. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, the relay pin 93 is further pushed down by the push piece 511, which descends as indicated by arrow DR91, applying a force that resists the repulsive force of the coil spring 94. In this way, the link plate 62 further rotates clockwise from the second position P2, pushing the abutment rotation piece 513 downward and inserting the relay pin 93 into the through hole 82a1, and then the link plate 62 moves outward and continues rotating, reaching position P3 indicated by the solid line in Fig. 3 (see DR52).

[0046] As the link plate 62 reaches position P3, the link bar 64 moves further forward (arrow DR42), and the relay plate 72 continues to rotate counterclockwise (arrow DR53), thereby disengaging the relay plate 72 from the hook plate 73. As a result, the hook plate 73 rotates counterclockwise (arrow DR54) due to the counterclockwise biasing torque (see arrow FR1 in FIG. 2), and the lock is released.

[0047] Meanwhile, the link plate 62 moves from position P2 to position P3, i.e., moves out of the contact pivot piece 513. As a result, the base plate 510 rotates counterclockwise due to the biasing torque (see arrow FR3 in FIG. 2) and returns to the position shown in FIG. 2. The relay pin 93 also moves upward out of the through-hole 82a1 and returns to the natural position shown in FIG.

[0048] 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 the seat ST can be lifted. In this way, the relay pin 93 pressed by the push piece portion 511 functions as an unlock detector that detects whether the sliding position of the seat ST is a predetermined unlockable position.

[0049] In the front locking structure RK, when the release wire 65 is pulled, the link plate 62 rotates clockwise, which pulls the link bar 64f connected to the bar connecting portion 631 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 RK to release the lock.

[0050] 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 (see FIG. 2) and returns to the state shown in FIG. 2. As the link plate 62 rotates counterclockwise, it abuts from the front against the abutment rotation piece 513, which has already returned to its original position. Here, the abutment rotation piece 513 is restricted from rotating counterclockwise in one direction, but is allowed to rotate clockwise in the other direction. Therefore, the abutment rotation piece 513 is pushed from the front by the link plate 62 and rotates clockwise. This allows the link plate 62 to pass the abutment rotation piece 513 and move rearward. When the link plate 62 passes the contact rotating piece 513, the contact rotating piece 513 rotates counterclockwise due to the biasing torque indicated by the arrow FR4 and returns to the position shown in FIG.

[0051] In this way, the link plate 62 abuts against the abutment pivot piece 513 from the rear side (first side) as it rotates clockwise (first direction). The abutment pivot piece 513 converts the force received from the link plate 62 when the link plate 62 abuts into a clockwise rotation force of the base plate 510 (rotation in a third rotation direction). Then, the abutment pivot piece 513 rotates itself to allow counterclockwise rotation (a second direction opposite to the first direction) of the link plate 62 abutting from the front side (second side), and keeps the hook plate 73 from rotating. In this way, the abutment pivot piece 513 functions as a so-called one-way clutch.

[0052] When the occupant attempts to rotate and lower the seat ST, which has been flipped up in the unlocked state shown in FIG. 3, to lock it again, the kickstand (not shown) abuts first against the upper surface of the base 11 of the hook engagement member 1. 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 in FIG. 2. At this time, the hook plate 73 rotates such that the upper edge thereof slides over the lower edge of the relay plate 72. As the hook plate 73 rotates clockwise, the hook portion 732 at the tip thereof enters the space V below the protruding portion 12 of the hook engagement member 1. Furthermore, the portion of the hook plate 73 that slides against the relay plate 72 shifts from the upper edge to the corner 734, and the corner 734 abuts against the restricting portion 721a, which is the inside corner at the base of the protruding portion 724 of the relay plate 72, thereby preventing the seat from being unlocked and establishing a locked state.

[0053] The lock structure RK of one embodiment described above includes a base plate 510 that rotates when the release wire 65 is pulled, a push piece 511 formed in a position that descends as the base plate 510 rotates, and an relay unit 9 that is attached to the upper rail 5 and has a relay pin 93 that descends by relaying the downward movement of the push piece 511. A through hole 82a1 is formed in the bottom wall 82a of the lower rail 82, which allows the descending relay pin 93 to enter only when the seat ST is in a slide position where it can be flipped up. In this configuration, whether the lock can be released is determined depending on whether the relay pin 93, which descends as the base plate 510 rotates, can enter the through hole 82a1.

[0054] As described above, the locking structure RK can be configured to select whether to unlock or unlock simply by forming the through-hole 82a1, which is a small hole that allows the thin shaft portion 932 of the relay pin 93 to enter. Therefore, the locking structure RK can make the bending strength of the portion of the lower rail 82 where the through-hole 82a1 is formed substantially equal to the bending strength of the other portions. Furthermore, small items that fall into the lower rail 82 rarely fall further through the through-hole 82a1 to the floor below and become impossible to retrieve. In this way, the locking structure RK makes it less likely that problems caused by the lower rail 82 will occur.

[0055] Furthermore, since the relay unit 9 is provided, even if the downward stroke of the push piece 511 accompanying the rotation of the base plate 510 is reduced, that is, even if the rotation angle of the base plate 510 is reduced, it is possible to determine whether or not the lock can be released by using the through-hole 82a1 in the bottom wall portion 82a of the lower rail 82. This makes the configuration of the hole engagement unit 51 compact, thereby reducing costs and saving space.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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]

[0059] 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 9 Relay unit 91 Housing 92 Bottom wall 92a bottom hole 92b Holding part 93 Relay pin 931 Head 932 Shaft 933 flange 934 Bottom surface 94 Coil spring FL floor FLa Wheelhouse FLp Underfloor Panel FLp1 Relief hole P1,P2,P3 position RK 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 V8,V1 space

Claims

1. The vehicle pop-up seat is rotatably supported on the side of the outer upper rail that engages with the outer lower rail and slides, and is lockably attachable / detachable to / from the inner upper rail that engages with the inner lower rail and slides, and is unlockable at a predetermined sliding position, by a locking section provided on the inner side. 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 plate that rotates to rotate the hook plate in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction; a push piece portion that descends in conjunction with the rotation of the link plate; a relay unit provided on the inner upper rail and having an unlocking detector that descends when pushed by the descending push piece; and the inner lower rail has a hole through which the unlocking detector can enter 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 plate rotates after the unlocking detector enters the hole.

2. a base plate that rotates in a third rotation direction in conjunction with the rotation of the link plate, and the push piece portion is formed to protrude downward from a portion of the base plate where the third rotation direction is a downward direction, 2. The locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat as described in claim 1, wherein the unlocking detector is a pin extending in the vertical direction, and when the upper end is pushed downward by the push piece portion, the lower end protrudes downward from the inner upper rail and reaches the bottom wall portion of the inner lower rail.

3. 3. The locking structure for a vehicle flip-up seat according to claim 2, wherein the hole is formed in the bottom wall portion.

4. the base plate has a contact rotation piece that is restricted to rotate in only one direction, When the link plate rotates to rotate the hook plate in the second rotation direction, the link plate abuts against the abutment rotation piece from a first side that rotates the hook plate in the one direction, 4. The locking structure for a vehicle pop-up seat as described in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the abutment pivot piece converts the force received when the link plate abuts from the first side into a rotational force of the base plate in the third rotation direction, and rotates when the link plate abuts from a second side opposite the first side, thereby maintaining the base plate from rotating.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Flip-up seat locking device

    JP3287453B2