Lever unit for seat back and vehicle seat

Abstract

To save an arrangement space of a lever unit at a shoulder of a seat back.SOLUTION: A lever unit 50 includes a case 52 provided at a shoulder of a seat back provided with a cylindrical upper pipe 24 having an axial direction in a seat lateral direction at an upper part of a seat back frame 22 and fixed to the seat back frame 22, and a lever 76 attached to the case 52 rotatably around an axis of the upper pipe 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a lever unit provided at the shoulder of a seat back. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses an operating section structure for a vehicle seat, in which an operating lever is connected to a base that is provided at the shoulder of the seat back and fixed to the frame of the seat back. In this structure, the base, lever, etc. are arranged above the seat and diagonally forward of the upper pipe that forms the upper part of the frame of the seat back. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5604272 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned prior art, the base, lever, etc. are positioned protruding into a narrow space above the seat and diagonally forward of the upper pipe (i.e., on the occupant's side) at the shoulder of the seat back, so there is room for improvement in terms of saving space required for placement.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a seat back lever unit that can reduce the space required for placement at the shoulder of the seat back, and a vehicle seat equipped with the lever unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The lever unit of the first embodiment is provided at the shoulder of a seat back having a cylindrical upper pipe attached to the upper part of the seat back frame with its axis aligned with the left-right direction of the seat, and comprises a case fixed to the seat back frame, and a lever attached to the case so as to be rotatable around the axis of the upper pipe as the center of rotation.

[0007] In the lever unit of the first aspect, a case provided at the shoulder of the seat back is fixed to the seat back frame. A cylindrical upper pipe having an axis extending in the left-right direction of the seat is provided on the upper part of the seat back frame. A lever is attached to the case so as to be rotatable around the axis of the upper pipe. In this way, the axis of the upper pipe serves as the rotation center of the lever, thereby reducing the space required for arranging the lever. As a result, the space required for arranging the entire lever unit can be saved.

[0008] The lever unit of the second aspect is the same as that of the first aspect, in which the case has a case body fixed to the seat back frame and a cover attached to the case body, and when the lever rotates, a guide pin provided on the lever displaces along a guide groove formed by the case body and the cover.

[0009] In the second aspect of the lever unit, a case body is fixed to the seatback frame, and a cover is attached to the case body. A guide pin is provided on the lever attached to the case, and when the lever rotates, the guide pin displaces along a guide groove formed by the case body and the cover. This allows the case to guide the rotation of the lever around the axis of the upper pipe.

[0010] The lever unit of a third aspect is the lever unit of the second aspect, wherein an inner portion of the guide groove is formed by the case body, and an outer portion of the guide groove is formed by the cover.

[0011] In the lever unit of the third aspect, the inner portion of the guide groove is formed by the case body fixed to the seatback frame, and the outer portion of the guide groove is formed by the cover attached to the case body. Therefore, after attaching the lever to the case body, the guide pin of the lever can be engaged with the guide groove of the case by attaching the cover to the case body. This makes it easy to attach the lever to the case.

[0012] The lever unit of the fourth aspect is the second or third aspect, in which the guide pin is provided at the end of the lever on the inner side in the left-right direction of the seat, and the hinge pin is provided at the end of the lever on the outer side in the left-right direction of the seat, and the hinge pin is arranged coaxially with the axis and is rotatably supported on the case.

[0013] In the fourth aspect of the lever unit, a guide pin provided at the inner end of the lever in the seat left-right direction engages with a guide groove in the case, and a hinge pin provided at the outer end of the lever in the seat left-right direction is rotatably supported by the case. This hinge pin is arranged coaxially with the axis of the upper pipe, allowing smooth rotation of the lever about the axis of the upper pipe.

[0014] The lever unit of the fifth aspect is any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which the lever is connected to a lock body of a locking device provided on the seat back via a rod, and a remote cable for remotely operating the lever is connected to the rod.

[0015] In the lever unit of the fifth aspect, the remote cable for remotely operating the lever is not connected to the lever but to the rod, so the remote cable can be laid out in a space-saving manner and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0016] A sixth aspect of the vehicle seat includes a seat cushion on which an occupant sits, a seat back that supports the back of the occupant, and a lever unit according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which the lever is attached to the case provided at the shoulder of the seat back.

[0017] In a vehicle seat according to a sixth aspect, the back of an occupant seated on a seat cushion is supported by a seat back. A case for a lever unit is provided at the shoulder of the seat back, and a lever of the lever unit is attached to the case. This lever unit is one of the first to fifth aspects, and therefore the above-mentioned effects can be obtained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to save the space required for arranging the lever unit at the shoulder of the seat back. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle seat according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the periphery of a lever unit in the vehicle seat according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration around the lever unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration around the lever unit, illustrating a state in which the lever is not rotated. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration around the lever unit, illustrating a state in which the lever is being rotated. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a cover is removed from a case body of the lever unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover is removed from a case body of the lever unit. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the lever of the lever unit and its surroundings. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the periphery of a lever of the lever unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a part of the lever unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration around the lever unit, and is the first diagram for explaining a remote cable. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration around the lever unit, and is a second diagram for explaining the remote cable. [Figure 13] 1 is a perspective view showing a seat back frame of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment; [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of a seat back frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A vehicle seat 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 14. Note that in each figure, some reference numerals may be omitted to make the drawings easier to understand. Arrows FR, LH, RH, and UP, which are appropriately depicted in each figure, respectively indicate the front, left, right, and top of the vehicle seat 10. Hereinafter, when the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions are used in the description, they will indicate directions relative to the vehicle seat 10.

[0021] 1, the vehicle seat 10 is a split-folding rear seat for three passengers, and includes a seat cushion 12 on which passengers sit, a seatback 14 that supports the passengers' backs, and three headrests 16 that support the passengers' heads. The seatback 14 is divided into a right-side seatback 14R for two-seater vehicles and a left-side seatback 14L for one-seater vehicles.

[0022] The left and right seatbacks 14R, 14L are each provided with a locking device 46 for restraining the left and right seatbacks 14R, 14L against the side of the vehicle body (not shown) in an upright position (the position shown in FIG. 1; hereinafter referred to as the "upright position"). The locking device 46 has a locking body 48 provided on the outer side of the left and right seatbacks 14R, 14L in the left-right direction, and a lever unit 50 (see FIGS. 1 to 12) provided at the outer shoulder of the left and right seatbacks 14R, 14L in the left-right direction. The locking body 48 has a latch 49 that engages with a striker (not shown) provided on the side of the vehicle body. This engagement restrains the left and right seatbacks 14R, 14L in the upright position.

[0023] The configurations of the left and right seat backs 14R, 14L around the locking device 46 are basically the same except that they are symmetrical, so the following will describe the configuration of the right seat back 14R, and will omit a description of the configuration of the left seat back 14L. In addition, when the following description uses the front-rear, left-right, up-down directions, these directions refer to the state when the seat back 14R is in the upright position.

[0024] The right seat back 14R includes a seat back pad 18, which is a cushioning material, a trim cover 20, which is a surface covering the seat back pad 18, and a seat back frame 22, which is a framework member to which the seat back pad 18 is attached (see FIGS. 2 to 9 and 11 to 14). The seat back pad 18 is made of a foam such as urethane foam. The trim cover 20 is formed into a bag shape by sewing together multiple surface pieces made of, for example, cloth, leather, synthetic leather, etc., and is placed over the seat back pad 18 from above.

[0025] As shown in Figure 13, the seatback frame 22 has an upper pipe 24 extending in the left-right direction at the top of the seatback 14R, left and right side pipes 26, 28 extending in the up-down direction at the left and right sides of the seatback 14R, a lower pipe 30 extending in the left-right direction at the bottom of the seatback 14R, and an intermediate pipe 32 extending in the up-down direction at the left-right intermediate part of the seatback 14R, and is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape when viewed in the front-rear direction.

[0026] The upper pipe 24, the left and right side pipes 26, 28, the lower pipe 30, and the intermediate pipe 32 are made of, for example, metal pipe material with a circular cross section, and the lower pipe 30 is made of, for example, metal pipe material with a square cross section. The upper pipe 24, the left and right side pipes 26, 28, the lower pipe 30, and the intermediate pipe 32 are joined by means of welding or the like.

[0027] A plurality of headrest brackets 34 for connecting the headrest 16 are fixed to the upper pipe 24. The plurality of headrest brackets 34 are aligned at intervals in the left-right direction. A hinge shaft 38 is fixed to the right end of the lower pipe 30 via a lower bracket 36. A lock bracket 40 for attaching a lock body 48 is fixed to the top of the right side pipes 26, 28. As shown in FIG. 14, a lever bracket 42 (not shown in FIG. 13) for attaching a lever unit 50 is fixed to the upper end of the right side pipe 28.

[0028] The headrest bracket 34, lock bracket 40, lever bracket 42, and lower bracket 36 are made of, for example, press-formed metal plate material, and the hinge shaft 38 is made of, for example, a metal pipe material with a circular cross section. The headrest bracket 34, lock bracket 40, lever bracket 42, and lower bracket 36 are fixed to the upper pipe 24, side pipe 28, and lower pipe 30, respectively, by means such as welding, and the hinge shaft 38 is fixed to the lower bracket 36 by means such as welding.

[0029] 2 to 5, the lever unit 50 has a case 52 fixed to the lever bracket 42, and a lever 76 rotatably attached to the case 52. The case 52 is composed of a case main body 54 and a cover 66. The case main body 54, the cover 66, and the lever 76 are manufactured by, for example, injection molding of resin.

[0030] The case body 54 is generally box-shaped and open on both vertical sides. The case body 54 has a front wall 56, a left wall 58, a right wall 60, and a rear wall 62. Flanges 64 extend from the upper ends of the front wall 56, the left wall 58, and the right wall 60, and from the rear ends of the left wall 58 and the rear wall 62. The flanges 64 extend forward from the upper end of the front wall 56 and extend to both left and right sides from the upper ends of the left wall 58 and the right wall 60, and from the rear ends of the left wall 58 and the rear wall 62.

[0031] The case body 54 is fixed to the lever bracket 42 by means of fitting or the like. A substantially semicircular cutout 59 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) into which the upper pipe 24 is fitted is formed in the lower part of a left wall 58 of the case body 54. The lower part of a right wall 60 of the case body 54 is disposed opposite the upper pipe 24 from the right side.

[0032] The cover 66 has a generally frame-like shape that is open on both sides in the vertical direction. The cover 66 has a left wall 68 that faces closely from the right side to the rear portion of the left wall 58 of the case body 54, a right wall 70 that faces closely from the left side to the rear portion of the right wall 60 of the case body 54, a lower wall 72 that connects the lower ends of the left wall 68 and the right wall 70 in the left-right direction, and a flange portion 74 that overlaps the flange portion 64 of the case body 54 from above and behind. The cover 66 is fixed to the case body 54 by snap-fitting (claw engagement) between two front and rear claw portions 55 (see FIG. 7) formed on the case body 54 and two front and rear hole portions 67 (see FIG. 7) formed on the cover 66. The flange portion 64 of the case body 54 and the flange portion 74 of the cover 66 are exposed and positioned on the upper surface of the shoulder portion of the seat back 14R.

[0033] The lever 76 is housed inside the case 52 and is disposed above the upper pipe 24. The lever 76 has a left wall 78 and a right wall 80 that face each other in the left-right direction and are generally fan-shaped when viewed in the left-right direction, an upper wall 82 that connects the front portions of the outer circumferential ends of the left wall 78 and the right wall 80 in the left-right direction, a lower wall 84 that connects the rear portions of the inner circumferential ends of the left wall 78 and the right wall 80 in the left-right direction, and a rear wall 86 that connects the rear end of the upper wall 82 and the front end of the lower wall 84 in the generally vertical direction.

[0034] The left wall 78 of the lever 76 overlaps the left wall 58 of the case body 54 from the right side, and the right wall 80 of the lever 76 overlaps the right wall 60 of the case body 54 from the left side. The rear portion of the left wall 78 of the lever 76 is sandwiched between the left wall 58 of the case body 54 and the left wall 68 of the cover 66, and the rear portion of the right wall 80 of the lever 76 is sandwiched between the right wall 60 of the case body 54 and the right wall 70 of the cover 66. As shown in Figures 4 and 5 , the lower end of the left wall 78 of the lever 76 and a lower wall 84 are curved concentrically with the upper pipe 24 and are disposed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upper pipe 24.

[0035] As shown in Figures 6 and 8 to 10, a hinge pin 88 is provided at the lower end of the right wall 80 of the lever 76 (i.e., the outer end of the lever 76 in the left-right direction). The hinge pin 88 is cylindrical with its axis in the left-right direction and protrudes rightward from the lower end of the right wall 80. The hinge pin 88 is fitted into a circular hinge hole 90 (see Figure 3) formed in the lower part of the right wall 60 of the case main body 54, and is rotatably supported by the case main body 54. The hinge pin 88 and the hinge hole 90 are arranged coaxially with the upper pipe 24.

[0036] 3 and 6 to 11, a guide pin 92 is provided at the upper end of the left wall 78 of the lever 76 (i.e., the end on the inner side in the left-right direction of the lever 76). The guide pin 92 is cylindrical with its axis in the left-right direction and protrudes leftward from the upper end of the left wall 78. As shown in FIG. 10, the guide pin 92 engages with a guide groove 94 formed by the case main body 54 and the cover 66.

[0037] The guide groove 94 is composed of a lower groove portion 94A, which is a recess formed in the upper end of the left wall 58 of the case body 54, and an upper groove portion 94B, which is a protrusion (rib) formed on the underside of the flange portion 74 of the cover 66 above the lower groove portion 94A. The lower groove portion 94A constitutes the inner portion (here, the lower portion) of the guide groove 94, and the upper groove portion 94B constitutes the outer portion (here, the upper portion) of the guide groove 94. The guide groove 94 is curved concentrically with the upper pipe 24 when viewed from the left-right direction and opens to the right. The guide pin 92 is inserted into the guide groove 94 from the right side.

[0038] The lever 76 is rotatable relative to the case 52 between a non-operating position shown in Fig. 4 and an operating position shown in Fig. 5. When the lever 76 rotates relative to the case 52, the guide pin 92 is displaced along the guide groove 94, and the hinge pin 88 rotates within the hinge hole 90.

[0039] As shown in Figures 3, 11, and 12, a rod 96 is connected to the front end of the lever 76. The rod 96 is made, for example, by bending a metal wire, and has a horizontal extension portion 96A extending in the left-right direction and a lower extension portion 96B extending downward from the right end of the horizontal extension portion 96A. The horizontal extension portion 96A is connected to the front end of the lever 76 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the left-right direction. The lower end of the lower extension portion 96B is connected to the lock body 48.

[0040] A remote cable 98 (see FIGS. 3, 11, and 12; not shown in FIG. 2) for remotely operating the lever 76 is connected to the left end of the horizontal extension portion 96A. The remote cable 98 has an outer casing 100 and an inner wire 102 inserted through the outer casing 100. One end of the outer casing 100 is engaged with a locking portion 42A (see FIGS. 3, 11, and 12; not shown in FIGS. 2, 4 to 7, and 14) provided at the lower end of the lever bracket 42. A terminal fitting 104 having an elongated hole 106 formed therein is fixed to one end of the inner wire 102. The left end of the horizontal extension portion 96A is inserted through this elongated hole 106, and a push nut 108 is attached to the left end of the horizontal extension portion 96A to prevent the horizontal extension portion 96A from coming off the elongated hole 106.

[0041] The other end of the outer casing 100 is engaged with a bracket (not shown) provided on the side of the luggage compartment of the vehicle, for example, and the other end of the inner wire 102 is engaged with a remote control lever (not shown) provided rotatably on the side of the luggage compartment of the vehicle, for example.

[0042] In the lever unit 50 configured as described above, when the remote control lever is rotated, the inner wire 102 is pulled by the remote control lever. This pulls the terminal fitting 104 downward (see arrow P in FIG. 11 ), and the rod 96, whose left end portion of the horizontal extension portion 96A is engaged with one end (upper end) of the elongated hole 106 of the terminal fitting 104, is displaced downward (see arrow D in FIG. 11 ). As a result, the lever 76 rotates from the non-operating position to the operating position (see arrow T in FIG. 11 ), and the latch 49 of the lock main body 48 rotates, disengaging the latch 49 from a striker provided on the side of the vehicle body (i.e., unlocking the lock device 46). This allows the seat back 14R to be tilted forward.

[0043] Furthermore, when the vehicle occupant rotates the lever 76 from the non-operating position to the operating position (see arrow T in FIG. 12), the rod 96 is displaced downward (see arrow D in FIG. 12). As a result, the locking device 46 is released, allowing the seat back 14R to be tilted forward. At this time, the left end of the lateral extension portion 96A is displaced toward the other end (lower end) of the elongated hole 106 of the terminal fitting 104, causing relative displacement between the lateral extension portion 96A and the terminal fitting 104. This prevents the operating force of the lever 76 from increasing due to engagement with the terminal fitting 104 (i.e., the remote cable 98).

[0044] In the vehicle seat 10 configured as described above, the back of an occupant seated on the seat cushion 12 is supported by the seat back 14. A lever unit 50 is provided at the shoulders of the left and right seat backs 14L, 14R. A case 52 of the lever unit 50 is fixed to the seat back frame 22. A cylindrical upper pipe 24 with its axis extending in the left-right direction is provided at the top of the seat back frame 22.

[0045] A lever 76 is attached to the case 52 so as to be rotatable about the axis of the upper pipe 24. In this way, the axis of the upper pipe 24 serves as the rotation center of the lever 76, making it possible to reduce the space required for arranging the lever 76. As a result, the overall space required for arranging the lever unit 50 can be reduced, and the amount of protrusion of the lever unit 50 toward the occupant can be reduced.

[0046] The case 52 has a case body 54 fixed to the seatback frame 22 and a cover 66 attached to the case body 54. When the lever 76 rotates, a guide pin 92 provided on the lever 76 displaces along an arc-shaped guide groove 94 defined by the case body 54 and the cover 66. This allows the case 52 to guide the rotation of the lever 76 about the axis of the upper pipe 24.

[0047] In this embodiment, the case body 54 fixed to the seatback frame 22 defines a lower groove portion 94A, which is the lower portion (inner portion) of the guide groove 94, and the cover 66 attached to the case body 54 defines an upper groove portion 94B, which is the upper portion (outer portion) of the guide groove 94. Therefore, by attaching the cover 66 to the case body 54 by snap-fitting after attaching the lever 76 to the case body 54, the guide pin 92 of the lever 76 can be sandwiched between the lower groove portion 94A (recess) and the upper groove portion 94B (rib), and the guide pin 92 of the lever 76 can be engaged with the guide groove 94 of the case 52. This facilitates the attachment of the lever 76 to the case 52.

[0048] In this embodiment, a guide pin 92 provided at the left end of the lever 76 engages with a guide groove 94 in the case 52, and a hinge pin 88 provided at the right end of the lever 76 is rotatably supported by the case 52. This hinge pin 88 is disposed coaxially with the axis of the upper pipe 24, which allows smooth rotation of the lever 76 about the axis of the upper pipe 24.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, the seatback frame 22 is configured by joining the upper pipe 24, the left and right side pipes 26, 28, and the lower pipe 30. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which, for example, a bent pipe is used instead of the upper pipe 24, the left and right side pipes 26, 28, and the lower pipe 30, the diameter, thickness, and material of each of the pipes 24, 26, 28, 30 can be optimized for each portion. As a result, the weight of the seatback frame 22 can be reduced. In addition, in this embodiment, the lever bracket 42 can be made smaller, which also contributes to reducing the weight of the seat buckle frame 22.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, one end of the inner wire 102 of the remote cable 98, which unlocks the lock main body 48 from the trunk, is not connected to the lever 76 but is connected to the horizontally extending portion 96A of the rod 96, so that the remote cable 98 can be laid out in a space-saving manner and the number of parts can be reduced. Furthermore, if an actuator is provided on the other end side of the inner wire 102 of the remote cable 98 to retract the inner wire 102, the lock main body 48 can be unlocked. Therefore, in this embodiment, the driving method for retracting the inner wire 102 may be either a manual method or a method that relies on the power of an actuator.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the guide pin 92 is provided at the left end of the lever 76, and the hinge pin 88 is provided at the right end of the lever 76, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, two guide pins provided at both ends of the lever may be configured to engage with two guide grooves provided at both ends of the case. In this case, when the lever rotates, the two guide pins are displaced along the two guide grooves.

[0052] In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the gist thereof. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the scope of the rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Vehicle seats 12 seat cushions 14 Seat back 22 Seat back frame 24 Upper Pipe 50 Lever unit 52 cases 54 Case body 66 Cover 76 Lever 88 Hinge pin 92 Guide pin 94 Guide groove 94A Lower groove (bottom of guide groove) 94B Upper groove (upper part of guide groove)

Claims

1. a case provided at the shoulder of a seat back having a cylindrical upper pipe with its axis aligned in the left-right direction of the seat provided at an upper portion of a seat back frame and fixed to the seat back frame; a lever attached to the case so as to be rotatable about the axis of the upper pipe; Seat back lever unit with

2. The case is a case body fixed to the seat back frame; a cover attached to the case body; and 2. The seat back lever unit according to claim 1, wherein a guide pin provided on the lever is displaced along a guide groove defined by the case body and the cover when the lever is rotated.

3. 3. The seat back lever unit according to claim 2, wherein an inner portion of the guide groove is formed by the case body, and an outer portion of the guide groove is formed by the cover.

4. The guide pin is provided at an end of the lever on the inner side in the seat left-right direction, A hinge pin is provided at the outer end of the lever in the left-right direction of the seat, 3. The seat back lever unit according to claim 1, wherein the hinge pin is disposed coaxially with the axis and rotatably supported by the case.

5. The lever is connected to a lock body of a lock device provided on the seat back via a rod, 3. The seat back lever unit according to claim 1, wherein a remote cable for remotely operating the lever is connected to the rod.

6. A seat cushion on which an occupant sits; a seat back that supports the back of the occupant; a seatback lever unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lever is attached to the case provided at a shoulder of the seatback; A vehicle seat comprising:

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