Vehicle seats

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat capable of ensuring the load-bearing performance of a center headrest without reinforcing a center headrest stay that supports the center headrest at one end. [Solution] A vehicle seat 10 is provided with a pair of left and right seat backs 16L, 16R having the same length in the seat width direction, a support pipe 30 embedded in one of the seat backs 16L in the vehicle width direction so as to extend in the seat vertical direction, and having an upper end formed by a vertical pipe 32 and a horizontal pipe 34 in a roughly "T" shape when viewed from the front, a pair of support brackets 36 provided on the horizontal pipe 34 so as to be symmetrical to the vertical pipe 32, and a center headrest stay 38 whose lower part is inserted and supported by the support bracket 36 and whose upper part 38U extends toward the other seat back 16R.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat. [Background technology]

[0002] A pair of rear seats that are divided into left and right seats with the same width (50:50 split) has been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the case of such rear seats, the center headrest is supported in a cantilever manner by a center headrest stay provided on the seat back of either the left or right rear seat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-297788 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to ensure the load-bearing capacity of a center headrest that uses an inefficient cantilever layout, it is necessary to reinforce the center headrest stay and the support bracket that supports the center headrest stay by enlarging them, etc. However, in this case, the weight of the rear seat increases and manufacturing costs also increase.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat that can ensure the load-bearing capacity of the center headrest without reinforcing the center headrest stay that supports the center headrest in a cantilevered manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle seat according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a pair of left and right seat backs having the same length in the seat width direction, a support pipe embedded in one of the seat backs in the vehicle width direction so as to extend in the up-and-down direction of the seat, the upper end of which is formed by a vertical pipe and a horizontal pipe in a roughly "T" shape when viewed from the front, a pair of support brackets provided on the horizontal pipe so as to be symmetrical to the vertical pipe, and a center headrest stay whose lower part is inserted and supported by the support brackets and whose upper part extends toward the other seat back.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the invention, a support pipe extending in the vertical direction of the seat is embedded in the vehicle widthwise inner side of one of a pair of left and right seat backs having the same length in the seat width direction, and the upper end of the support pipe is formed into a roughly T-shape in front view by a vertical pipe and a horizontal pipe. In addition, the lower part of a center headrest stay whose upper part protrudes toward the other seat back is inserted and supported by a pair of support brackets, and the pair of support brackets are provided on the horizontal pipe so as to be symmetrical with respect to the vertical pipe.

[0008] Therefore, even if a load is applied to the center headrest, which is cantilevered by the center headrest stay whose upper portion extends toward the other seat back, the load is distributed and transmitted approximately evenly to the horizontal pipes. The load transmitted to the horizontal pipes is then efficiently transmitted from the horizontal pipes to the vertical pipes, where it is effectively received. This ensures the load-bearing capacity of the center headrest without reinforcing the center headrest stay.

[0009] A vehicle seat according to a second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle seat according to the first aspect, wherein the support bracket is provided at a tip end of the horizontal pipe.

[0010] According to the second aspect of the invention, the support bracket is provided at the tip of the horizontal pipe. Therefore, the distance between the lower parts of the center headrest stays can be maximized compared to when the support bracket is provided on the horizontal pipe closer to the vertical pipe. Therefore, the horizontal pipe stably supports the center headrest stay, improving its support rigidity.

[0011] Furthermore, a third aspect of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is the vehicle seat of the second aspect, wherein the inner end portion of the horizontal pipe in the vehicle width direction reaches the inner end portion of one of the seat backs in the vehicle width direction.

[0012] According to the third aspect of the invention, the inner end of the transverse pipe reaches the inner end of one of the seat backs in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, compared to a case where the inner end of the transverse pipe does not reach the inner end of one of the seat backs in the vehicle width direction, the lower part of the center headrest stay on the other seat back side can be brought as close as possible to the other seat back side. This improves the support rigidity of the upper part of the center headrest stay that protrudes toward the other seat back.

[0013] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is a vehicle seat according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the upper end of a seatback frame embedded in one of the seat backs is inserted into the horizontal pipe, and the vehicle width direction inner end of the upper end of the seatback frame reaches the vehicle width direction inner tip of the horizontal pipe.

[0014] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the upper end of a seatback frame embedded in one of the seat backs is inserted into the horizontal pipe, and the inner end of the upper end of the seatback frame reaches the inner tip of the horizontal pipe in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the load transmitted to the horizontal pipe is efficiently transmitted from the horizontal pipe to the seatback frame and is effectively received by the seatback frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] As described above, according to the present invention, the load-bearing capacity of the center headrest can be ensured without reinforcing the center headrest stay that supports the center headrest in a cantilever manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a rear seat according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the internal structure of the rear seat according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing an enlarged view of the support structure for the center headrest stay of the rear seat according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the arrow UP shown in each drawing indicates the upward direction of the vehicle seat, and the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction of the vehicle seat. Furthermore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, when the up / down, front / rear, and left / right directions are mentioned, they refer to the up / down, front / rear, left / right, and right / left of the vehicle seat. Furthermore, the left / right direction is synonymous with the vehicle width direction.

[0018] 1, a vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment, which is provided in a vehicle (not shown), is a pair of rear seats 12 divided into left and right sections with the same width (having the same length in the seat width direction). Therefore, in the following description, when the left (one) rear seat 12 and the right (other) rear seat 12 are described separately, the left rear seat 12 will have the letter "L" added after its reference number, and the right rear seat 12 will have the letter "R" added after its reference number.

[0019] 1, the right rear seat 12R has a seat cushion 14R, a seat back 16R, and a headrest 18R, and the left rear seat 12L has a seat cushion 14L, a seat back 16L, and a headrest 18L. A center headrest 20 is disposed between the right headrest 18R and the left headrest 18L.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, a seat cushion frame 22R is embedded in the seat cushion 14R (see Figure 1) of the right rear seat 12R, and a seat back frame 24R that is roughly inverted "U" shape when viewed from the front is embedded in the seat back 16R (see Figure 1) of the right rear seat 12R.

[0021] A pair of left and right, generally cylindrical support brackets 26R are provided on the upper part of the seatback frame 24R, and the lower part of a headrest stay 28R, which is bent into a generally inverted "U" shape, is inserted into the support brackets 26R so that it can be raised and lowered. The headrest stay 28R is supported by the support brackets 26R so that it can be fixed at a predetermined position, thereby making it possible to adjust the vertical position of the headrest 18R (see Figure 1).

[0022] Similarly, a seat cushion frame 22L is embedded in the seat cushion 14L (see Figure 1) of the left rear seat 12L, and a seat back frame 24L is embedded in the seat back 16L (see Figure 1) of the left rear seat 12L, and forms a roughly inverted "U" shape when viewed from the front together with a support pipe 30 described later.

[0023] A pair of left and right, generally cylindrical support brackets 26L are provided on the upper part of the seatback frame 24L, and the lower part of a headrest stay 28L, which is bent into a generally inverted "U" shape, is inserted into the support brackets 26L so as to be movable up and down. The headrest stay 28L is supported by the support brackets 26L so as to be fixable at a predetermined position, thereby making it possible to adjust the vertical position of the headrest 18L (see FIG. 1).

[0024] 2 and 3, a support pipe 30 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the inside of the seat back frame 24L of the left seat back 16L in the vehicle width direction. The upper end of the support pipe 30 is formed into a general "T" shape by a vertical pipe 32 and a horizontal pipe 34 when viewed from the front.

[0025] Specifically, the support pipe 30 has a generally cylindrical pipe body 30A extending in the vertical direction, and the upper end of the pipe body 30A is inserted into and integrally connected to the lower end of a generally cylindrical vertical pipe 32 extending in the vertical direction. In other words, the vertical pipe 32 is disposed above the pipe body 30A.

[0026] A substantially cylindrical horizontal pipe 34 extending in the left-right direction is formed integrally with the upper end of the vertical pipe 32. The horizontal pipe 34 extends the same length in the left-right direction from the upper end of the vertical pipe 32, and the left end (outer side in the vehicle width direction) of the horizontal pipe 34 is inserted into and integrally connected to the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the upper end of the seatback frame 24L.

[0027] 3, the inner end 24A in the vehicle width direction at the upper end of the seatback frame 24L reaches the right (inner in the vehicle width direction) end (tip portion described later) of the horizontal pipe 34. In other words, the inner end face in the vehicle width direction at the upper end of the seatback frame 24L is disposed at approximately the same position in the vehicle width direction as the right (inner in the vehicle width direction) end face of the horizontal pipe 34 to such an extent that it does not protrude beyond that end face.

[0028] A pair of left and right support brackets 36 each having a substantially cylindrical shape are provided at the left and right ends of the horizontal pipe 34. That is, the pair of left and right support brackets 36 are provided at the left and right ends of the horizontal pipe 34 so as to be symmetrical with respect to the vertical pipe 32 (at positions symmetrical with respect to the left and right).

[0029] The "left-right end of the horizontal pipe 34" referred to here refers to the outermost end and innermost end in the vehicle width direction at which the support bracket 36 can be attached. The right (inner) end of the horizontal pipe 34 reaches the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the left seat back 16L (the left seat back 16L is disposed as inner as possible in the vehicle width direction within the range in which it can be manufactured).

[0030] Additionally, a lower portion 38D (see FIG. 3) of a center headrest stay 38, which is bent into a generally inverted U shape, is inserted into the support bracket 36 so as to be movable up and down. The center headrest stay 38 is supported by the support bracket 36 so as to be fixable at a predetermined position, thereby making it possible to adjust the vertical position of the center headrest 20 (see FIG. 1).

[0031] The center headrest stay 38 is formed in a horizontally elongated shape with its upper portion 38U bent so as to overhang above the right seat back 16R. That is, the center portion of the center headrest 20 in the left-right direction is arranged above the boundary between the left seat back 16L and the right seat back 16R (see FIG. 1), and the center headrest stay 38 is configured to support the center headrest 20 in a cantilever manner.

[0032] Next, the operation of the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0033] As described above, of the seat backs 16L, 16R of the pair of rear seats 12L, 12R divided into left and right sides with the same width, the left seat back 16L is provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction with the support pipe 30 extending in the vertical direction. The upper end of the support pipe 30 is formed into a general "T" shape by the vertical pipe 32 and the horizontal pipe 34 when viewed from the front.

[0034] In addition, the lower part 38D of the center headrest stay 38, whose upper part 38U extends above the right-side seat back 16R, is inserted into and supported by a pair of left and right support brackets 36, which are provided at the left and right ends of the horizontal pipes 34 so as to be symmetrical with respect to the vertical pipes 32.

[0035] Therefore, when a load is applied to the center headrest 20, whose upper portion 38U is cantilevered by a center headrest stay 38 that extends above the right seat back 16R, by the head of an occupant (not shown) seated in the center of the vehicle width direction of the pair of left and right rear seats 12, the load is distributed and transmitted approximately evenly to the horizontal pipe 34.

[0036] Here, the upper end of the seatback frame 24L is inserted into the horizontal pipe 34, and the vehicle width directional inner end 24A of the upper end reaches the tip on the right side (inner side in the vehicle width direction) of the horizontal pipe 34. Therefore, the load transmitted to the horizontal pipe 34 is efficiently transmitted from the horizontal pipe 34 to the seatback frame 24L and the vertical pipe 32, and from the vertical pipe 32 to the pipe main body 30A. In other words, the load transmitted to the horizontal pipe 34 is effectively received by the seatback frame 24L and the support pipe 30.

[0037] Therefore, the load-bearing capacity of the center headrest 20 can be ensured without reinforcing the center headrest stay 38 or the support bracket 36 that cantilever-support the center headrest 20 by, for example, enlarging them. That is, it is possible to suppress deformation (an increase in the amount of deformation) of the center headrest 20. This in turn makes it possible to suppress or prevent an increase in the weight of the left rear seat 12L, and also to suppress or prevent an increase in the manufacturing cost thereof.

[0038] As described above, the pair of left and right support brackets 36 are provided at the left-right tip portions of the horizontal pipes 34. Therefore, the distance between the lower portions 38D of the center headrest stays 38 can be maximized compared to when the pair of left and right support brackets 36 are provided closer to the vertical pipes 32 on the horizontal pipes 34. This allows the horizontal pipes 34 to stably support the center headrest stays 38, improving the support rigidity. In other words, the load-bearing capacity of the center headrest 20 can be improved.

[0039] Also, the right (inner in the vehicle width direction) tip of the horizontal pipe 34 reaches the inner end of the left seat back 16L in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, compared to a case where the right (inner in the vehicle width direction) tip of the horizontal pipe 34 does not reach the inner end of the left seat back 16L in the vehicle width direction, the lower part 38D of the right side (seat back 16R side) of the center headrest stay 38 can be brought as close as possible to the right seat back 16R side.

[0040] That is, since the central portion of the center headrest 20 in the left-right direction is disposed above the boundary between the left seat back 16L and the right seat back 16R, it is possible to minimize the length W (see FIG. 3) along the left-right direction between the lower portion 38D on the right side (seat back 16R side) of the center headrest stay 38 and the right end portion (tip portion) of the upper portion 38U of the center headrest stay 38. This makes it possible to improve the support rigidity of the upper portion 38U of the center headrest stay 38 that protrudes above the right seat back 16R.

[0041] Although the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the one shown in the drawings, and the design can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the support pipe 30 may be provided on the right seat back 16R instead of the left seat back 16L. In other words, the internal structure of the pair of left and right rear seats 12 may be reversed from that shown in the drawings.

[0042] 3, the upper end of the pipe body 30A is not joined to the upper end of the seatback frame 24L, but the length of the pipe body 30A may be increased so that it abuts against the upper end of the seatback frame 24L, and the upper end of the pipe body 30A and the upper end of the seatback frame 24L may be joined integrally by, for example, welding. This allows the load transmitted to the horizontal pipe 34 to be more effectively received by the seatback frame 24L and the support pipe 30, further improving the load-bearing capacity of the center headrest 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10 Vehicle seats 16L Left seat back (one of the seat backs) 16R Right seat back (other seat back) 24L Left seat back frame (one of the seat back frames) 30 Support pipe 32 Vertical Pipe 34 Horizontal pipe 36 Support bracket 38 Center headrest stay 38D lower 38U top

Claims

1. A pair of left and right seat backs having the same length in the seat width direction; a support pipe embedded in the inner side of one of the seat backs in the vehicle width direction so as to extend in the seat up-down direction, the upper end of which is formed into a substantially "T" shape in front view by a vertical pipe and a horizontal pipe; a pair of support brackets provided on the horizontal pipe so as to be symmetrical with respect to the vertical pipe; a center headrest stay whose lower portion is inserted through and supported by the support bracket and whose upper portion extends toward the other seat back; A vehicle seat comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the support bracket is provided at a tip end of the horizontal pipe.

3. 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein a leading end portion of the transverse pipe on an inner side in the vehicle width direction reaches an inner end portion of one of the seat backs in the vehicle width direction.

4. An upper end of a seat back frame embedded in one of the seat backs is inserted into the horizontal pipe, The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an inner end portion in the vehicle width direction of the upper end portion of the seatback frame reaches an inner tip portion in the vehicle width direction of the lateral pipe.

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