Armrest support structure

Abstract

To provide an armrest support structure capable of securing the appearance quality of the upper side of a hinge cover and preventing clothes or the like from being easily caught on the upper side.SOLUTION: Since the back flange 37 protruding upward from the upper portion of the hinge cover 33 is inserted into the opening 17 and extends along the back side of the front surface 16a of the skin material 16, the back flange 37 can restrict the skin material 16 from being recessed on the upper side of the hinge cover 33. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the appearance quality of the upper side of the hinge cover 33 and to make it difficult for clothes or the like to be caught between the upper side of the hinge cover 33 and the skin material 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an armrest support structure provided on a seat back, and more particularly to an armrest support structure that can ensure the appearance quality of the seat back above the hinge cover and make it difficult for clothes or the like to get caught above it. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicle seats have armrests rotatably supported on the seat back. For example, in Patent Document 1, a hinge bracket attached to the side of the back frame of the seat back protrudes forward from an opening in the front of the seat back's cover material, and the armrest is rotatably supported on the protruding portion. To hide this rotation mechanism from the seat occupant, the hinge bracket is covered with a hinge cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-354059 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the armrest is folded forward and an occupant presses the seatback upholstery material over the hinge cover, the internal structure of the seatback may be exposed through the opening in the upholstery, potentially damaging the appearance of the seatback. Also, when the seatback returns to its original position, clothing or other items may become caught between the indented portion of the upholstery material and the hinge cover.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an armrest support structure that can ensure the appearance quality of the seat back above the hinge cover and makes it difficult for clothes or other items to get caught above it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve this object, the armrest support structure of the present invention is for rotatably supporting an armrest relative to the seat back of a seat, and comprises a hinge bracket attached to the side of the back frame of the seat back, and at a portion that protrudes forward from an opening provided in the front surface of the seat back upholstery material, the armrest is rotatably supported, a hinge cover that covers the hinge bracket protruding from the opening and is assembled to the hinge bracket, and a back flange that protrudes upward from the top of the hinge cover, is inserted into the opening, and extends along the back side of the front surface of the upholstery material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the armrest support structure of claim 1, the rear flange protruding upward from the top of the hinge cover is inserted into the opening and extends along the rear side of the front surface of the upholstery material, so the rear flange can prevent the upholstery material from being recessed above the hinge cover. This ensures the quality of the appearance of the seat back above the hinge cover and makes it difficult for clothes to get caught between the upper side of the hinge cover and the upholstery material.

[0008] The armrest support structure of claim 2 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by the armrest support structure of claim 1. The front flange protruding upward from the top of the hinge cover is overlapped with the front side of the front surface of the skin material, making it easy to hide the opening above the hinge cover. Furthermore, the skin material is sandwiched between the front flange and the back flange above the hinge cover, restricting forward and backward movement of the sandwiched portion of the skin material. This makes it possible to suppress changes in appearance due to this forward and backward movement, and improves the appearance quality of the seat back above the hinge cover.

[0009] The armrest support structure of claim 3 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by the armrest support structure of claim 2. Because the rear flange protrudes significantly upward from the front flange, the rear flange can prevent the upholstery material from sinking above the front flange. As a result, the appearance quality of the joint between the front flange and the upholstery material on the upper side of the hinge cover can be further improved, and clothing, etc., can be made less likely to get caught between the front flange and the upholstery material.

[0010] The armrest support structure of claim 4 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by the armrest support structure of claim 1. The hinge cover includes an inner member that covers the armrest side (inside) of the hinge bracket, and an outer member that covers the side of the hinge bracket opposite the armrest (outside). Because the inner member is assembled to the hinge bracket while inserting it between the inside of the hinge bracket and the armrest, the inner member has limited freedom of movement during assembly. If a back flange is provided on this inner member, it is difficult to further move the inner member so as to insert the back flange into the opening during assembly.

[0011] In contrast, if the back flange protrudes upward from the top of the outer member, there is no armrest outside the hinge bracket, so after inserting the back flange into the opening, the outer member can be easily attached to the hinge bracket by covering the hinge bracket from the outside. Therefore, even if there is a back flange, it is easy to assemble the hinge cover to the hinge bracket.

[0012] The armrest support structure of claim 5 achieves the following effects in addition to the effects achieved by the armrest support structure of claim 4. The front flange, which protrudes upward from the top of the inner member, overlaps the front side of the front surface of the skin material, making it easy to hide the opening above the hinge cover. Furthermore, the skin material is sandwiched between the front flange and the back flange above the hinge cover, restricting the fore-and-aft movement of the sandwiched portion of the skin material. This reduces changes in appearance due to this fore-and-aft movement, improving appearance quality. Furthermore, because the front flange and the back flange protrude from separate members (the inner member and the outer member), it is easy to sandwich the skin material between them when assembling the hinge cover.

[0013] The armrest support structure of claim 6 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by the armrest support structure of claim 4 or 5. The inner member has an outer peripheral edge portion that protrudes toward the outer member so as to cover the periphery of the hinge bracket. The outer member has an inner peripheral edge portion that protrudes toward the inner member, overlaps the hinge bracket side of the outer peripheral edge portion, and is fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral edge portion. When assembling the outer member to the hinge bracket, the operation of inserting the back flange into the opening tends to cause the outer member to shift rearward relative to the inner member assembled to the hinge bracket, and the inner peripheral edge portion of the outer member tends to be positioned rearward of the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner member. Since it is sufficient to fit and fix the inner peripheral edge portion to the outer peripheral edge while maintaining this positional relationship, the workability of the fitting and fixing can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a seat provided with an armrest support structure in one embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a side view of a seat back and an armrest as viewed in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the seat back and armrest taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4]FIG. 2(a) is a side view of the hinge bracket and the inner member, and FIG. 2(b) is a front view of the hinge bracket and the inner member. [Figure 5] FIG. 2(a) is a side view of the hinge bracket and the outer member, and FIG. 2(b) is a front view of the hinge bracket and the outer member. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the seat back and armrest taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view of a seat 10 provided with an armrest support structure 30 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side view of the seat back 12, armrest 20, and armrest support structure 30 as viewed from the direction of arrow II in Fig. 1. Note that part of the armrest support structure 30 hidden by the seat back 12 is shown by a dashed line in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the directions of arrows U, D, L, R, F, and B in each drawing indicate the upward, downward, leftward, rightward, forward, and backward directions of the seat 10, respectively. These directions are the same as those seen by a person sitting in the seat 10.

[0016] The seat 10 is a seat installed in a vehicle (for example, an automobile). The seat 10 mainly comprises a seat cushion 11 that forms the seat surface, a seat back 12 that is rotatably supported by the seat cushion 11 and forms the backrest, an armrest 20 that can form an armrest, and an armrest support structure 30 that rotatably supports the armrest 20 on the seat back 12.

[0017] The seat cushion 11 in this embodiment forms a seating surface for two passengers in the rear seats of the vehicle. The seat cushion 11 is formed by supporting a cushion pad (not shown) made of a foam such as soft polyurethane foam on a cushion frame (not shown) made of metal or synthetic resin, and covering the cushion pad with a skin material (not shown).

[0018] The seat back 12 in this embodiment can form a backrest for two of the rear seats of the vehicle. Of these two seats, a portion of the backrest on the left side is formed with an armrest 20 that is raised upward and in a stored state. A recess 13 for accommodating this armrest 20 is formed in the front of the seat back 12. The recess 13 also opens to the left side surface of the seat back 12.

[0019] The armrest support structure 30 is provided to the left of the lower end of the armrest 20 housed in the recess 13. The lower end of the armrest 20 is supported by the seat back 12 so as to be rotatable around a left-right rotation axis 31 provided on the armrest support structure 30. The armrest 20 is in a used state when it is rotated around this rotation axis 31 and tilted forward, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 2. When in use, the armrest 20 can be used to rest the arm of an occupant sitting on the right side of the seat 10, or the arm of an occupant sitting in a separate seat provided on the left side of the seat 10.

[0020] Next, the armrest support structure 30 will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the seat back 12, armrest 20, and armrest support structure 30 taken along line III-III in Figure 2. Figure 4(a) is a side view of the hinge bracket 32 ​​and the inner member 34. Figure 4(b) is a front view of the hinge bracket 32 ​​and the inner member 34. Figure 5(a) is a side view of the hinge bracket 32 ​​and the outer member 35. Figure 5(b) is a front view of the hinge bracket 32 ​​and the outer member 35. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the seat back 12, armrest 20, and armrest support structure 30 taken along line VI-VI in Figure 1.

[0021] 3, the seat back 12 is formed by supporting a back pad 15 made of a foam such as soft polyurethane foam on a back frame 14 made of metal or synthetic resin, and covering the back pad 15 with a skin material 16. Similarly, the armrest 20 is formed by supporting a pad 22 made of a foam such as soft polyurethane foam on a frame 21 made of metal or synthetic resin, and covering the pad 22 with a skin material 23.

[0022] The armrest support structure 30 comprises a hinge bracket 32 ​​attached to the left side of the back frame 14, a rotating shaft 31 connecting the frame 21 of the armrest 20 to the hinge bracket 32, and a hinge cover 33 that covers the hinge bracket 32 ​​and is assembled to the hinge bracket 32.

[0023] 3 and 4(a), the hinge bracket 32 ​​is made of a metal plate extending in the up-down and front-rear directions. The rear of the hinge bracket 32 ​​is joined to the back frame 14 by welding or the like, and most of the hinge bracket 32 ​​protrudes forward from an opening 17 provided in the upholstery material 16 of the seat back 12. The opening 17 is provided in the front surface 16a of the upholstery material 16 that faces the back of the seated occupant, in the bottom surface of the recess 13. More specifically, the opening 17 is provided in the left corner of the bottom surface (front surface 16a) of the recess 13.

[0024] A through-hole 32a is formed in the left-right direction at the front end of the hinge bracket 32, at a portion that protrudes from the opening 17. A bolt that constitutes the rotating shaft 31 is inserted into this through-hole 32a via a bearing 31a. Furthermore, by fitting a nut onto this bolt that passes through the frame 21, the frame 21 is rotatably attached to the hinge bracket 32.

[0025] An arc-shaped guide groove 32b is formed in the hinge bracket 32, centered on the rotation axis 31, on the rear side of the through-hole 32a. A protruding pin 21a protruding to the left from the frame 21 of the armrest 20 is inserted into the guide groove 32b. As the armrest 20 rotates, the protruding pin 21a moves within the guide groove 32b. When this movement causes the protruding pin 21a to hit the upper end of the guide groove 32b, further rotation of the armrest 20 is restricted, and the armrest 20 is maintained in its usable state.

[0026] The hinge cover 33 is a synthetic resin member that covers the hinge bracket 32 ​​to hide the rotation mechanism, which is made up of the rotation shaft 31, protruding pin 21a, guide groove 32b, etc., from an occupant and to prevent the occupant's fingers from getting caught in the rotation mechanism. The hinge cover 33 covers almost the entire portion of the hinge bracket 32 ​​that protrudes from the opening 17, except for the rotation trajectories of the rotation shaft 31 and protruding pin 21a between the hinge bracket 32 ​​and the frame 21. The hinge cover 33 includes an inner member 34 that covers the armrest 20 side (right side, inside) of the hinge bracket 32, and an outer member 35 that covers the side of the hinge bracket 32 ​​opposite to the armrest 20 (left side, outside).

[0027] As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the inner member 34 comprises a flat inner main body portion 34a located inside the hinge bracket 32, an outer peripheral edge portion 34b that protrudes in a flange-like shape from the periphery of the inner main body portion 34a to the left (towards the outer member 35), and a plurality of positioning portions 34c that position the inner member 34 relative to the hinge bracket 32.

[0028] The multiple positioning portions 34c protrude from the inner main body portion 34a and the outer peripheral edge portion 34b toward the hinge bracket 32, and abut against the top and bottom, front and rear, and right sides of the hinge bracket 32. The shape and position of these multiple positioning portions 34c may be changed as appropriate as long as they can position the inner member 34.

[0029] However, it is preferable that one of the positioning portions 34c on the front side (in this embodiment, the one on the front lower side) is configured to sandwich the front edge of the hinge bracket 32 ​​between itself and the inner main body portion 34a. Here, the inner member 34 assembled to cover the hinge bracket 32 ​​is further assembled to the outer member 35, thereby being fixed to the hinge bracket 32. Even before this fixing, the positioning portion 34c that sandwiches the front edge of the hinge bracket 32 ​​can prevent the inner member 34 from shifting to the right or falling off.

[0030] The outer peripheral edge 34b is a portion that protrudes leftward from the upper, front, and lower edges of the inner main body 34a so as to cover the periphery of the hinge bracket 32 ​​except for the rear side (the opening 17 side). A plurality of fitting claws 34d protrude from the inner surface (the hinge bracket 32 ​​side) of the outer peripheral edge 34b. The fitting claws 34d are formed in a wedge shape such that the amount of protrusion decreases toward the left (see FIG. 3). In addition, a plurality of restricting portions 34e are provided at positions that are approximately the same distance as the maximum protrusion amount of the fitting claws 34d from the outer peripheral edge 34b toward the hinge bracket 32.

[0031] A front flange 36 is integrally formed with the inner member 34, projecting upward from the upper rear edge of the outer peripheral edge 34b and projecting rightward from the rear edge of the inner main body 34a. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the front flange 36 is pressed against the front surface 16a of the cover material 16 around the opening 17. This front flange 36 makes it difficult for a seated occupant to see the opening 17 itself or the internal structure of the seat back 12 through the opening 17.

[0032] 5(a) and 5(b), the outer member 35 includes a flat outer main body portion 35a located outside the hinge bracket 32, and an inner peripheral edge portion 35b that protrudes in a flange-like shape from near the periphery of the outer main body portion 35a to the right (toward the inner member 34). The inner peripheral edge portion 35b protrudes to the right from near the upper, front, and lower edges of the outer main body portion 35a (positions slightly spaced from each edge) so as to cover the periphery of the hinge bracket 32 ​​except for the rear side (the opening 17 side). A plurality of fitting holes 35d are formed through the inner peripheral edge portion 35b.

[0033] 3, 4(a), and 5(a), when the outer member 35 is placed over the outside of the hinge bracket 32 ​​and assembled, the multiple fitting claws 34d are fitted into the multiple fitting holes 35d while the inner peripheral edge portion 35b is inserted between the outer peripheral edge portion 34b and the restricting portion 34e of the inner member 34 assembled to the hinge bracket 32. By fitting and fixing the inner peripheral edge portion 35b to the outer peripheral edge portion 34b in this manner, both the inner member 34 and the outer member 35 are fixed to the hinge bracket 32.

[0034] Furthermore, when these are fitted and fixed, a linear protrusion 34f provided at the tip of the outer peripheral edge 34b fits into a linear groove 35f provided between the inner peripheral edge 35b and the peripheral edge of the outer main body 35a. This makes it difficult for the joint between the inner member 34 and the outer member 35 to shift, improving the aesthetic appearance of the hinge cover 33.

[0035] Furthermore, a claw portion 35e that hooks onto the inside of the hinge bracket 32 ​​is provided in the center of the rear part of the outer member 35 in the vertical direction (at a position away from the inner peripheral edge portion 35b). This makes it possible to prevent the outer member 35 at a position away from the inner peripheral edge portion 35b from lifting up from the hinge bracket 32.

[0036] Returning to Figures 5(a) and 5(b), the explanation will be made. A rear flange 37 protrudes upward from the upper part of the outer member 35. The rear flange 37 is made of a plate material that is approximately perpendicular to the outer main body portion 35a and is molded integrally with the outer member 35. The rear flange 37 extends from the inner surface of the outer main body portion 35a (toward the hinge bracket 32) rearward of the upper rear edge of the inner peripheral edge portion 35b toward the upper right in a front view, and then extends straight upward in a front view. The upper end of the rear flange 37 is semicircular in a front view.

[0037] Two reinforcing plates 37a are provided at the corner between the front surface of the rear flange 37 and the inner surface of the outer main body portion 35a, connecting them vertically. This makes it difficult for the rear flange 37 to bend rearward relative to the outer member 35. In addition, two reinforcing ribs 37b protrude from the rear surface of the rear flange 37, continuing over substantially the entire length of the rear flange in the vertical direction. This ensures the rigidity of the rear flange 37. The number of reinforcing plates 37a may be one, or three or more. The number of reinforcing ribs 37b may be one, or three or more.

[0038] 3, the outer main body portion 35a rearward of the rear flange 37 is pressed against the front side of the left side surface of the upholstery material 16 rearward of the opening 17. This portion of the outer main body portion 35a makes it difficult for a seated occupant to see the opening 17 itself or the internal structure of the seat back 12 through the opening 17.

[0039] 6, when the hinge cover 33 is assembled and fixed to the hinge bracket 32, the back flange 37 is inserted into the opening 17 and extends along the back side of the front surface 16a of the skin material 16, and is disposed between the back side of the front surface 16a and the back pad 15. This makes it possible for the back flange 37 to prevent the skin material 16 from being depressed above the hinge cover 33 when, for example, the arm of a seated occupant placed on the armrest 20 in use is pressed against the seat back 12.

[0040] As a result, when the upholstery material 16 is recessed, it is possible to prevent the overlap between the outer main body portion 35a and the left side surface of the upholstery material 16 from shifting, which can result in the internal structure of the seat back 12 being visible through the opening 17, or wrinkles being formed at the joint between the outer main body portion 35a and the left side surface of the upholstery material 16. In other words, the rear flange 37 ensures the appearance quality of the seat back 12 above the hinge cover 33. In addition, the rear flange 37 can prevent clothing or the like from being caught between the recessed portion of the upholstery material 16 and the upper side of the hinge cover 33 when the recessed portion returns to its original state.

[0041] The reinforcing plate 37a and the reinforcing rib 37b make it difficult for the rear flange 37 to deform, thereby suppressing dents in the cover material 16 that accompany deformation of the rear flange 37. As a result, it is possible to further improve the appearance quality of the joint between the hinge cover 33 and the cover material 16, and also to make it difficult for clothing or the like to get caught between the hinge cover 33 and the cover material 16.

[0042] The upholstery material 16 is sandwiched between the front flange 36 and the back flange 37 above the hinge cover 33, thereby restricting the fore-and-aft movement of the sandwiched portion of the upholstery material 16. This suppresses changes in appearance due to the fore-and-aft movement, improving the appearance quality of the seat back 12 above the hinge cover 33. Note that sandwiching the upholstery material 16 between the front flange 36 and the back flange 37 may mean that the upholstery material 16 is sandwiched and fixed between them, or may mean that the upholstery material 16 is sandwiched loosely so as not to be sandwiched and fixed.

[0043] The back flange 37 protrudes farther upward than the front flange 36, and therefore the back flange 37 can prevent the upholstery material 16 from being depressed above the front flange 36. As a result, the appearance quality of the joint between the front flange 36 and the upholstery material 16 can be further improved, and clothing or the like can be made less likely to get caught between the front flange 36 and the upholstery material 16.

[0044] Here, to assemble the inner member 34 of the hinge cover 33 to the hinge bracket 32, it is necessary to insert the inner member 34 into the narrow gap between the inside of the hinge bracket 32 ​​and the armrest 20, while bringing the multiple positioning portions 34c into contact with the hinge bracket 32. Inserting the inner member 34 into the narrow gap reduces the degree of freedom in how the inner member 34 can be moved during assembly.

[0045] If the back flange 37 is provided on such an inner member 34, it becomes difficult to move the inner member 34 during assembly so as to insert the back flange 37 into the opening 17. Furthermore, the front edge of the hinge bracket 32 ​​is inserted between the front lower positioning portion 34c and the inner main body portion 34a so as to be sandwiched between them, which reduces the degree of freedom in how the inner member 34 can be moved, making it difficult to assemble the inner member 34 while inserting the back flange 37 provided on the inner member 34 into the opening 17.

[0046] In contrast, in this embodiment, a back flange 37 is provided on the outer member 35. Because there is no armrest 20 on the outside of the hinge bracket 32 ​​to which the outer member 35 is attached, the outer member 35 can be moved freely during assembly. Therefore, after inserting the back flange 37 into the opening 17, the outer member 35 can be easily attached to the hinge bracket 32 ​​by covering the hinge bracket 32 ​​from the outside with the outer member 35. Therefore, even with the back flange 37, it is easy to assemble the hinge cover 33 to the hinge bracket 32.

[0047] Furthermore, the outer member 35 is provided with the back flange 37, while the inner member 34 is provided with the front flange 36. That is, since the front flange 36 and the back flange 37 are provided on separate members, it is easy to sandwich the cover material 16 between them when assembling the hinge cover 33.

[0048] Furthermore, when the outer member 35 is assembled to the hinge bracket 32, the operation of inserting the rear flange 37 into the opening 17 tends to cause the outer member 35 to shift rearward relative to the inner member 34 assembled to the hinge bracket 32. As a result, the inner peripheral edge 35b of the outer member 35 tends to be positioned rearward of the outer peripheral edge 34b of the inner member 34. Since the inner peripheral edge 35b can be fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral edge 34b while maintaining this positional relationship, the workability of the fitting and fixing can be improved.

[0049] The present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above form in any way, and it can be easily inferred that various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the armrest support structure 30 is provided on the left side of the seat back 12 and the armrest 20, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the seat 10 may be reversed left and right, and the armrest support structure 30 may be provided on the right side of the seat back 12 and the armrest 20. Furthermore, the armrest support structure 30 of the present invention is not limited to cases in which the armrest 20 in the stored state forms part of the backrest, and may also be applied to cases in which the armrest 20 does not form part of the backrest. The seat 10 equipped with the armrest support structure 30 may be a front seat or not a rear seat of a vehicle, and may be one that is installed in a vehicle other than a vehicle, or one that is not installed in a vehicle.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the hinge bracket 32 ​​is made of metal and the hinge cover 33 is made of synthetic resin, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the hinge bracket 32 ​​may be made of synthetic resin. Also, the hinge cover 33 may be made of metal.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the hinge cover 33 is described as being composed of two members, the inner member 34 and the outer member 35, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The hinge cover 33 may be composed of one member, or may be composed of three or more members. Note that at least one of the inner member 34 and the outer member 35 in the above embodiment may be divided into multiple members so that the hinge cover 33 is composed of three or more members. Furthermore, the front flange 36 and the back flange 37 are not limited to being molded integrally with the hinge cover 33 (the inner member 34 or the outer member 35), and may be separate parts from the hinge cover 33.

[0053] The method of assembling the hinge cover 33 to the hinge bracket 32 ​​is not limited to the case described in the above embodiment and may be modified as appropriate. For example, the hinge cover 33 may be configured such that the inner member 34 is fastened to the hinge bracket 32 ​​with bolts or the like, and then the outer member 35 is fastened to the inner member 34 with bolts or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10 seats 12 Seat back 14 Back Frame 16 Skin material 16a front 17 Aperture 20 Armrest 30 Armrest support structure 32 Hinge bracket 33 Hinge cover 34 Inner member 34b Outer periphery 35 Outer member 35b Inner periphery 36 Front flange 37 Back flange

Claims

1. An armrest support structure for rotatably supporting an armrest relative to a seat back of a seat, a hinge bracket attached to a side portion of a back frame of the seat back, the armrest being rotatably supported at a portion protruding forward from an opening provided in a front surface of an upholstery material of the seat back; a hinge cover attached to the hinge bracket so as to cover the hinge bracket protruding from the opening; a back flange that protrudes upward from an upper portion of the hinge cover, is inserted into the opening, and extends along the back side of the front surface of the upholstery material.

2. 2. The armrest support structure according to claim 1, further comprising a front flange that protrudes upward from an upper portion of the hinge cover and is superimposed on the front side of the surface material to sandwich the surface material between the back flange and the front flange.

3. 3. The armrest support structure according to claim 2, wherein the rear flange projects upwardly more than the front flange.

4. The hinge cover includes an inner member that covers the armrest side of the hinge bracket; an outer member that covers the side of the hinge bracket opposite to the armrest, 2. The armrest support structure according to claim 1, wherein the rear flange projects upward from an upper portion of the outer member.

5. 5. The armrest support structure according to claim 4, further comprising a front flange that protrudes upward from an upper portion of the inner member, is superimposed on the front side of the front surface of the skin material, and sandwiches the skin material between the front flange and the back flange.

6. the inner member has an outer peripheral edge portion that projects toward the outer member so as to cover the periphery of the hinge bracket, The armrest support structure according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the outer member has an inner peripheral portion that protrudes toward the inner member, is overlapped on the hinge bracket side of the outer peripheral portion, and is fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral portion.

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