Vehicle seats

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat that improves the workability of installing side finishers. [Solution] When the guide projection 74 is engaged with the guide hole 64 (when the guide projection 74 has slid to its end position), the displacement of the side finisher 7 in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted. Therefore, by sliding the guide projection 74 backward along the guide hole 64, the relative positions of the claws 72, 80 and the fitting holes 73, 81 can be roughly positioned. On the other hand, since the claws 72, 80 and the fitting holes 73, 81 are not formed in front of the guide projection 74, the relative positions of their fitting parts only need to be adjusted on the rear side of the guide projection 74. Thus, the work of fitting the claws 72, 80 and the fitting holes 73, 81 together can be easily performed while adjusting their relative positions, thereby improving the workability of the side finisher 7 installation.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a vehicle seat that can improve the workability of attaching a side finisher.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for covering the side surface of a side frame 31 of a vehicle seat with a side shield member 50. The side shield member 50 is attached to the side frame 31 by fitting clips 75 and 76 provided on the side shield member 50 into bosses 37a and 37b of the side frame 31 from the side.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When attaching the side shield member 50 to the side frame 31, the positions of the bosses 37a and 37b are blocked by the side shield member 50, making them difficult to visually recognize. Therefore, it takes time to adjust the relative positions of the bosses 37a and 37b and the clips 75 and 76. In particular, in Patent Document 1 described above, since the bosses 37a and 37b (clips 75 and 76) are formed at two locations separated front and back, it is likely to take time to adjust the relative positions of the bosses 37a and 37b and the clips 75 and 76 while fitting them together. Therefore, there is a problem that the workability of attaching the side shield member 50 (side finisher) is poor.

[0005] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a vehicle seat that can improve the workability of the side finisher installation process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve this objective, the vehicle seat of the present invention comprises a cushion frame, a side frame extending in the front-rear direction, and a side finisher covering the side surface of the side frame, wherein each of the side frame and the side finisher is provided with a fitting portion that engages with the side finisher by pushing it in from the side, a guide hole is formed on the side frame side forward of the fitting portion, the side finisher is provided with a guide projection that slidably engages with the guide hole from the front, and when the guide projection is engaged with the guide hole, the displacement of the side finisher in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted, and the fitting portion is not formed on the side forward of the guide projection. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the vehicle seat described in claim 1, a guide hole is formed on the side frame side forward of the fitting portion, and the side finisher is provided with a guide projection that slidably engages with the guide hole from the front. When the guide projection is engaged with the guide hole (when the guide projection has slid to its end position), the displacement of the side finisher in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted, so the relative positions of the fitting portions of the side frame side and the side finisher can be roughly positioned by sliding the guide projection backward along the guide hole.

[0008] On the other hand, since no mating portion is formed in front of the guide projection, the relative position of the mating portions only needs to be adjusted on the rear side of the guide projection. Therefore, the work of fitting them together while adjusting the relative position of the mating portions can be made easier, which has the effect of improving the workability of the side finisher installation work.

[0009] The vehicle seat according to claim 2 provides the following effects in addition to those of the vehicle seat according to claim 1. An insertion portion is formed on the side frame side that protrudes toward the front, and the side finisher is formed in front of the guide projection and has an insertion hole into which the insertion portion is inserted from the rear opening. When the insertion portion is inserted into the insertion hole, the displacement of the side finisher in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted, so the displacement of the side finisher in each of these directions can be restricted at two points separated in front of and behind the guide projection and the insertion hole. Therefore, the side finisher can be stably fixed to the side frame.

[0010] Furthermore, insertion of the insertion part into the insertion hole only needs to be done in the front-to-back direction, eliminating the need for lateral insertion, such as when engaging a guide projection into a guide hole. Therefore, compared to, for example, a case where a projection equivalent to a guide projection is provided on the front end of the side finisher instead of an insertion hole, the mounting position of the side finisher can be easily adjusted. Consequently, this has the effect of improving the workability of the side finisher installation process.

[0011] According to the vehicle seat of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the vehicle seat of claim 2, the side finisher is provided with a guide wall portion that is formed in a rib shape extending rearward from the rear end of the insertion hole and is inclined toward the rearward side away from the insertion portion, so that the insertion of the insertion portion into the insertion hole can be guided by the guide wall portion. As a result, when sliding the side finisher toward the rearward side, it is not necessary to adjust the relative position between the insertion hole and the insertion portion, which has the effect of improving the workability of the side finisher installation work.

[0012] According to the vehicle seat described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the vehicle seat described in claim 1, the guide hole comprises an insertion portion that opens larger than the outer diameter of the guide projection, a tapered portion that is connected to the rear of the insertion portion and whose vertical opening dimension gradually narrows toward the rear, and an engaging portion that is connected to the rear of the tapered portion and into which the guide projection engages. Therefore, when sliding the guide projection inserted into the insertion portion toward the engaging portion, the slide can be guided by the tapered portion. That is, after inserting the guide projection into the insertion portion, the guide projection can be engaged with the engaging portion simply by moving the side finisher toward the rear. Thus, there is an effect of improving the workability of the side finisher installation work.

[0013] The vehicle seat according to claim 5 provides the following effects in addition to those of the vehicle seat according to claim 4: The guide projection comprises a base that engages with the engaging portion and an overhang that extends upward from the left-right inward end of the base. Therefore, when a load from the occupant acts on the upper surface of the side finisher, the overhang effectively restricts the deflection (opening) of the side finisher toward the side and downward. Thus, the side finisher can be stably fixed to the side frame.

[0014] The vehicle seat according to claim 6 provides the following effects in addition to those of the vehicle seat according to claim 5. The protruding portion extends upward and backward from the inner left and right ends of the base, and the outer shape of the protruding portion corresponds to the shape of the insertion portion and the tapered portion. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the rearward-facing portion can be increased while forming a shape that can be inserted into the guide hole (insertion portion and tapered portion). By increasing the amount of protrusion of the rearward-facing portion, the bending strength of the protruding portion relative to the base can be improved compared to, for example, a configuration in which the protruding portion extends only upward from the base. Therefore, even if the load from the occupant is repeatedly applied to the upper surface portion of the side finisher, it is possible to suppress damage to the guide projection (protruding portion).

[0015] The vehicle seat according to claim 7 provides the following effects in addition to those of the vehicle seat according to claim 1: The side finisher comprises a covering portion that covers the side surface of the side frame, and an outer peripheral portion that rises from the outer edge of the covering portion toward the side frame, the outer peripheral portion comprising a rear portion that covers other components located inside the side frame from the rear.

[0016] A restricting wall is formed on the rear side to limit the deformation of the side finisher toward other components. Therefore, even if a load from the rear acts on the side finisher, the movement and deformation (bending) of the side finisher toward the front can be restricted by contact between the restricting wall and other components. This has the effect of preventing the side finisher from falling off the side frame or from being damaged.

[0017] According to the vehicle seat described in claim 8, in addition to the effects of the vehicle seat described in claim 7, the side finisher includes a plurality of fitting parts arranged along the back surface and a restricting wall formed between the plurality of fitting parts. Therefore, when a load from the rear side acts on the side finisher, the restricting wall can restrict contact between the fitting parts and other parts. This has the effect of preventing the fitting parts from coming apart or the fitting parts from being damaged. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a vehicle seat. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the side finisher. [Figure 3] (a) is a side view of the mounting bracket and side finisher in the direction of arrow IIIa in Figure 2, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the side finisher along the line IIIb-IIIb in Figure 3(a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket and side finisher along the line IIIc-IIIc in Figure 3(a). [Figure 4](a) is a side view of the mounting bracket and the side finisher in a state where the side finisher is slid backward from the state of Fig. 3(a), and Fig. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket and the side finisher taken along line IVb-IVb of Fig. 4(a). [Figure 5] (a) is a perspective view of the side finisher with the Va portion of Fig. 2 enlarged, and (b) is a side view of the side finisher as viewed in the direction of arrow Vb in Fig. 5(a).

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, referring to Fig. 1, the overall configuration of the vehicle seat 1 will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat 1. In Fig. 1, the state where the seat pad (cushion pad) supported by the cushion frame 2 and the skin covering the seat pad are removed is illustrated. Also, the directions of arrows U-D, L-R, F-B in Fig. 1 indicate the vertical direction, the left-right direction, and the front-rear direction of the vehicle seat 1, respectively (the same applies to the following figures).

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle seat 1 is a seat mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and includes a cushion frame 2 that forms the skeleton of the seat surface (seat cushion). At the rear end (the end on the arrow B side) of the cushion frame 2, a seat back 3 (back frame) is connected so as to be tiltable via a reclining device 4.

[0021] The cushion frame 2 includes side frames 20 that extend in the front-rear direction (arrow F-B direction), and the side frames 20 are provided in a pair at intervals in the left-right (arrow L-R direction). The rear end side portions of the pair of side frames 20 are connected by a rear frame 21 that extends in the left-right direction, and the front end side portions are connected by a front frame 22 (front panel) that extends in the left-right direction.

[0022] In the following description, the side of the side frame 20 facing inward in the left-right direction (towards the left-right center of the cushion frame 2) will be referred to as the "inner surface," and the side facing the opposite direction will be referred to as the "outer surface" (the same applies to other parts of the vehicle seat 1). An operating lever 5 is mounted on the outer surface of the side frame 20 so as to be rotatable around an axis along the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the operating lever 5 is operated by the occupant to release the lock of the reclining device 4, but the operating lever 5 may also be used to raise or lower the cushion frame 2.

[0023] A mounting bracket 6 is fixed to the outer surface of the side frame 20, which is in front of the operating lever 5. The mounting bracket 6 is a component for attaching the side finisher 7, which covers the side of the side frame 20.

[0024] The mounting bracket 6 includes a first mounting portion 60 and a second mounting portion 61 (see enlarged portion of Figure 1) that are spaced apart in the front-rear direction. Each of these mounting portions 60 and 61 is fixed to the outer surface of the side frame 20 by fastening members 9 such as bolts and rivets. Each of the mounting portions 60 and 61 slopes downward toward the left-right outward direction (arrow L direction) from the side frame 20, and an insertion portion 62 is formed below the first mounting portion 60 located on the front end side of the mounting bracket 6. The insertion portion 62 protrudes forward from the first mounting portion 60, and this insertion portion 62 is inserted into an insertion hole 75 (see Figure 2) of the side finisher 7, which will be described later.

[0025] The mounting bracket 6 has a connecting portion 63 that connects the lower end (insertion portion 62) of the first mounting portion 60 and the lower end of the second mounting portion 61 front to back. These parts 60 to 63 that make up the mounting bracket 6 are integrally formed by bending (pressing) a metal plate. That is, each part 60 to 63 of the mounting bracket 6 is formed in a flat plate shape. Guide holes 64 are formed in the connecting portion 63 to guide the mounting of the side finisher 7.

[0026] The guide hole 64 consists of a roughly rectangular insertion portion 640, a tapered portion 641 connected to the rear end of the insertion portion 640, which gradually narrows in the vertical direction toward the rear, and an engaging portion 642 extending rearward from the rear end of the tapered portion 641, which has a roughly constant vertical direction.

[0027] Next, the detailed configuration of the side finisher 7 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the side finisher 7.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the side finisher 7 comprises a covering portion 70 that extends in the front-rear direction (arrow FB direction) and covers the outer surface of the side frame 20, and an outer peripheral portion 71 that rises from the outer edge of the covering portion 70 toward the side frame 20, and each of these portions 70 and 71 is integrally formed using a resin material.

[0029] A recess 700 (see Figure 1) is provided on the outer surface of the covering portion 70, approximately in the center in the front-to-back direction. The formation of this recess 700 creates a stepped surface 701 facing forward on the outer surface of the covering portion 70, and an insertion hole 702 extending vertically is formed in the stepped surface 701 (see Figure 1). The operating lever 5 is inserted into this insertion hole 702 that penetrates the stepped surface 701.

[0030] The process of attaching the side finisher 7 to the mounting bracket 6 (engaging the guide projection 74 with the guide hole 64) is performed with the operating lever 5 inserted into the insertion hole 702. After this installation is complete, the cover 10 is attached to the tip of the operating lever 5. Details of the installation procedure for the side finisher 7 will be described later.

[0031] The outer periphery 71 of the side finisher 7 is formed in a wall-like shape that surrounds substantially the entire outer edge of the covering portion 70. The rear end portion of the covering portion 70 (behind the insertion hole 702) is sloped upward toward the rear and above, and the outer periphery 71 covering this sloped portion has claws 72 and fitting holes 73 (fitting portion) (see Figure 2) integrally formed therein.

[0032] Multiple claws 72 and fitting holes 73 are formed in a row along the inner surface of the outer circumference 71, but in Figure 2, some of the claws 72 and fitting holes 73 are omitted from the illustration to simplify the drawing. These claws 72 and fitting holes 73 are for fixing the rear end of the side finisher 7 to the inner cover 8 (see Figure 1) that covers the inner surface of the side frame 20.

[0033] The inner cover 8 is a resin component that covers the inner surface of the rear end side (reclining device 4) of the side frame 20. The inner cover 8 has a claw 80 and a fitting hole 81 (fitting portion) integrally formed in a position corresponding to the claw 72 and fitting hole 73 of the side finisher 7.

[0034] The rear end of the side finisher 7 is fixed to the side frame 20 (inner cover 8) by engaging the claws 72, 80 and fitting holes 73, 81 of the side finisher 7 and inner cover 8 through their elastic deformation. At this time, since the claws 72 and fitting holes 73 are formed along the inner surface of the outer circumference 71, the visibility of the claws 72, 80 and fitting holes 73, 81 is not easily obstructed by the side finisher 7. Therefore, the work of fitting them in while adjusting the relative positions of the claws 72, 80 and fitting holes 73, 81 can be easily performed.

[0035] On the other hand, the front end portion of the side finisher 7 (the portion in front of the insertion hole 702) is fixed to the mounting bracket 6 using the guide projection 74 and the insertion hole 75 (see Figure 2 for both). These guide projection 74 and insertion hole 75 are integrally formed on the inner surface of the covering portion 70.

[0036] The guide projection 74 comprises a substantially rectangular parallelepiped base portion 740 formed to protrude from the inner surface of the covering portion 70, a base portion 741 projecting inward in the left-right direction (towards arrow R) from the base portion 740, and an overhang portion 742 extending vertically from the left-right inward end of the base portion 741, with each of these portions 740 to 742 being integrally formed.

[0037] Next, the detailed configuration of the side finisher 7 and the method of attaching it to the mounting bracket 6 will be explained with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3(a) is a side view of the mounting bracket 6 and side finisher 7 as seen in the direction of arrow IIIa in Figure 2, Figure 3(b) is a cross-sectional view of the side finisher 7 along the line IIIb-IIIb in Figure 3(a), and Figure 3(c) is a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket 6 and side finisher 7 along the line IIIc-IIIc in Figure 3(a).

[0038] Figure 4(a) is a side view of the mounting bracket 6 and side finisher 7 showing the state in which the side finisher 7 has been slid to the rear side (towards arrow B) from the state in Figure 3(a), and Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view of the mounting bracket 6 and side finisher 7 along the line IVb-IVb in Figure 4(a).

[0039] Figures 3(a) and 4(a) show the external shape of the mounting bracket 6 excluding the mounting portions 60 and 61 (see Figure 1). Figure 3(a) shows the state before the insertion portion 62 of the mounting bracket 6 is inserted into the insertion hole 75, while Figure 3(b) shows the external shape of the insertion portion 62 in the inserted state with a dashed line. Figure 4(b) is an end view showing only the cross-sections of the side frame 20, mounting bracket 6, and side finisher 7.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the insertion hole 75 of the side finisher 7 is provided with an outer wall portion 750 (see Figure 3(b) or Figure 3(c)) rising from the inner surface of the covering portion 70, and the upper wall portion 751 and the lower wall portion 752 protrude inward in the left-right direction (arrow R side) from both ends of the upper and lower (arrow UD direction in Figure 3(b)). The left-right inward (arrow R side) ends of the upper wall portion 751 and the lower wall portion 752 are connected vertically by an inner wall portion 753, and the front end of the space surrounded by these walls 750 to 753 (the end on the arrow F side in Figure 3(c)) is closed by the front wall portion 754.

[0041] Rib portions 755 and 756 protrude from the outer wall portion 750 and the inner wall portion 753, respectively, toward the space between them, and the rib portions 755 and 756 are provided in pairs with a gap between them vertically (see Figure 3(b)). Each of the rib portions 755 and 756 is formed in a wall shape extending in the front-rear direction (arrow FB direction), and the insertion portion 62 is inserted between the opposing rib portions 755 and 756. Alternatively, the rib portions 755 and 756 may be omitted, the space between the inner wall portion 753 and the outer wall portion 750 may be narrowed, and the insertion portion 62 may be inserted between their wall portions 752 and 753.

[0042] When attaching the side finisher 7 to the mounting bracket 6, first insert the protruding portion 742 of the guide projection 74 into the insertion portion 640 of the guide hole 64 (see Figure 3(a)) from the side (the back side in the vertical direction of the paper in Figure 3(a)). The portion of the guide hole 64 consisting of the insertion portion 640 and the tapered portion 641 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape, and the outer shape of the protruding portion 742 of the guide projection 74 (shape when viewed in the left-right direction) is a substantially trapezoidal shape corresponding to the insertion portion 640 and the tapered portion 641. This makes it easy to identify that the place to insert the guide projection 74 (protruding portion 742) is the guide hole 640 (insertion portion 640).

[0043] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, after inserting the protruding portion 742 into the insertion portion 640, the side finisher 7 is slid to the rear (towards arrow B) to engage the base portion 741 of the guide projection 74 with the engaging portion 642 of the guide hole 64. At this time, a tapered portion 641 is connected to the rear of the insertion portion 640, where the vertical opening dimension gradually narrows toward the rear. Therefore, the tapered portion 641 can guide the sliding of the base portion 741 toward the engaging portion 642. In other words, after inserting the protruding portion 742 into the insertion portion 640, the base portion 741 can be engaged with the engaging portion 642 simply by sliding the side finisher 7 to the rear. Thus, the workability of the installation work of the side finisher 7 can be improved.

[0044] Furthermore, by sliding the side finisher 7 to the rear, the insertion portion 62 of the mounting bracket 6 is inserted into the insertion hole 75. The insertion of this insertion portion 62 is guided by the upper guide wall portion 757, the lower guide wall portion 758, and the lateral guide wall portion 759 (see Figure 3(c) for the lateral guide wall portion 759). Each of these guide walls 757 to 759 is a rib-shaped wall formed integrally with the covering portion 70 (insertion hole 75).

[0045] The upper guide wall portion 757 and the lower guide wall portion 758 face each other vertically, and the lower and upper surfaces (opposite surfaces) of these upper and lower guide walls 757 and 758 are configured as the upper guide surface 757a and the lower guide surface 758a, respectively, which guide the insertion of the insertion portion 62 into the insertion hole 75.

[0046] The vertical distance between the upper guide surface 757a and the lower guide surface 758a gradually narrows toward the front (arrow F side). Although not shown in the illustration, the front end of the upper guide surface 757a is connected to the lower surface of the upper wall portion 751 of the insertion hole 75 (see Figure 3(b)), and the front end of the lower guide surface 758a is connected to the upper surface of the lower wall portion 752 (see Figure 3(b) or Figure 3(c)). This allows the insertion of the insertion portion 62 into the insertion hole 75 to be guided by the upper and lower guide surfaces 757a and 758a.

[0047] The inner surface (facing the side indicated by arrow R) of the lateral guide wall portion 759 (see Figure 3(c)) is configured as a lateral guide surface 759a that guides the insertion of the insertion portion 62 into the insertion hole 75. The height of the lateral guide wall portion 759 from the covering portion 70 gradually increases toward the front side (towards arrow F), and the lateral guide surface 759a is inclined inward in the left-right direction (towards arrow R) as it approaches the insertion hole 75.

[0048] Although not shown in the illustration, the lateral guide wall portions 759 (see Figure 3(c)) are formed in pairs with a gap between them vertically, and the insertion portion 62 into the insertion hole 75 is guided by this pair of lateral guide wall portions 759. In this embodiment, a step 759b (see Figure 3) is formed at the boundary between the lateral guide surface 759a and the side surface of the outer wall portion 750 (rib portion 755), but this step 759b may be omitted, and the front end of the lateral guide surface 759a may be smoothly connected to the side surface of the outer wall portion 750 (rib portion 755).

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, the side finisher 7 is provided with guide walls 757 to 759 that are inclined toward the rear and away from the insertion portion 62, and the insertion of the insertion portion 62 into the insertion hole 75 is guided by the guide surfaces 757a to 759a of these guide walls 757 to 759. This eliminates the need to adjust the relative position between the insertion portion 62 and the insertion hole 75 when sliding the side finisher 7 toward the rear. That is, after inserting the protruding portion 742 of the guide projection 74 into the insertion portion 640 of the guide hole 64, the insertion portion 62 can be inserted into the insertion hole 75 simply by sliding the side finisher 7 toward the rear. Thus, the workability of the installation work of the side finisher 7 can be improved.

[0050] Furthermore, each guide wall portion 757 to 759, which has guide surfaces 757a to 759a, is formed in a rib shape that rises from the inner surface of the side finisher 7 (covering portion 70). This allows each guide wall portion 757 to 759 to have a function of reinforcing the side finisher 7, in addition to the function of guiding the insertion portion 62 into the insertion hole 75.

[0051] As shown in Figure 4(b), the vertical dimension (groove width) of the engaging portion 642 of the guide hole 64 is formed to be the same as or slightly larger than the vertical dimension of the base portion 741 of the guide projection 74. Therefore, when the base portion 741 is engaged with the engaging portion 642 (the end position of the slide of the side finisher 7 where the base portion 741 contacts the rear end of the engaging portion 642), the vertical displacement (tilt) of the side finisher 7 is restricted by the catching between the engaging portion 642 and the base portion 741.

[0052] Furthermore, when the base portion 741 is engaged with the engaging portion 642 (the end position of the slide of the side finisher 7), the protruding portion 742 that extends vertically from the base portion 741 is caught on the inner surface of the mounting bracket 6 (i.e., the guide projection 74 is engaged with the engaging portion 642). In this state, the displacement of the side finisher 7 in the left-right direction (arrow LR direction) is restricted by the engagement between the protruding portion 742 and the mounting bracket 6 (the edge of the engaging portion 642).

[0053] Furthermore, the opposing spacing between the upper wall portion 751 and the lower wall portion 752 (see Figure 3(b)) of the insertion hole 75, as well as the opposing spacing between the outer wall portion 750 (rib portion 755) and the inner wall portion 753 (rib portion 756), are formed to be the same as or slightly larger than the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the insertion portion 62. Therefore, when the insertion portion 62 is inserted into the insertion hole 75, the displacement of the side finisher 7 in the vertical, horizontal, and vertical directions is restricted by these interlocking forces.

[0054] In other words, at the end of the slide position of the side finisher 7, the movement of the side finisher 7 in all directions except the front-to-back direction is restricted by the insertion portion 62 and the guide projection 74. In this state, the relative positions of the claws 72 and the fitting holes 73 of the side finisher 7 with respect to the claws 80 and fitting holes 81 of the inner cover 8 (see Figure 1) are generally determined, so the claws 72, 80 and fitting holes 73, 81 can be easily fitted together. Therefore, the workability of the side finisher 7 installation work can be improved. In addition, since the displacement of the side finisher 7 (displacement in all directions: up, down, left, and right) is restricted at two points separated front to back by the guide projection 74 and the insertion hole 75, the side finisher can be stably fixed to the mounting bracket 6.

[0055] Furthermore, there are no fitting parts formed in front of the guide projection 74 (guide hole 64) that require fitting from the side, such as claws 72, 80 or fitting holes 73, 81. Therefore, the work of fitting the claws 72, 80 and fitting holes 73, 81 together while adjusting their relative positions can be performed only on the rear side of the guide projection 74. Thus, compared to a case where claws 72, 80 and fitting holes 73, 81 are also formed on the front side of the guide projection 74 (guide hole 64), the workability of installing the side finisher 7 can be improved.

[0056] In this embodiment, the movement of the front end portion of the side finisher 7 is restricted by the insertion portion 62, the insertion hole 75, and the catch. However, it is also possible to form a projection similar to the guide projection 74 on the front end portion of the side finisher 7 instead of the insertion hole 75, while forming a hole (corresponding to the guide hole 64) into which the projection is inserted in the mounting bracket 6. However, in such a configuration, multiple guide projections 74 would be formed in the front-rear direction, making it time-consuming to adjust the mounting position of the side finisher 7 (the relative position between the guide hole 64 and the guide projection 74).

[0057] In contrast, in this embodiment, an insertion hole 75 is provided in front of the guide projection 74, and the movement (up, down, left, and right displacement) of the front end portion of the side finisher 7 is restricted by the engagement between this insertion hole 75 and the insertion portion 62 of the mounting bracket 6. With this configuration, the mounting position of the side finisher 7 on the mounting bracket 6 can be easily adjusted compared to the case where a projection equivalent to the guide projection 74 is provided on the front end portion of the side finisher 7 instead of the insertion hole 75.

[0058] In particular, in this embodiment, since one guide projection 74 (guide hole 64) is formed on the side finisher 7 (mounting bracket 6), the relative position between the guide hole 64 and the guide projection 74 only needs to be adjusted in one place. Therefore, the protruding portion 742 of the guide projection 74 can be easily inserted into the insertion portion 640 of the guide hole 64, thereby improving the workability of the side finisher 7 installation work.

[0059] When the side finisher 7 is attached to the mounting bracket 6, the load from the occupant acts on the side finisher 7 when the occupant sits in or gets out of the vehicle seat 1. This load mainly causes the side finisher 7 to bend outward in the left-right direction (towards arrow L).

[0060] When such a load acts on the front end portion of the side finisher 7, the side finisher 7 bends in the direction of arrow R from the state shown in Figure 3(b). This bending presses the insertion portion 62 against the inner wall portion 753 (rib portion 756) of the insertion hole 75. In response, the inner wall portion 753 has a pair of vertically aligned rib portions 756 (see Figure 3(b)), and these rib portions 755 increase the rigidity of the inner wall portion 753. This prevents the insertion hole 75 from being damaged by the load from the occupants.

[0061] Furthermore, since the rib portion 756 extends in the front-rear direction and connects the inner wall portion 753 and the front wall portion 754 (see Figure 3(c)), a portion of the above load can be received by the front wall portion 754 (the deflection of the inner wall portion 753 due to the load is restricted by the front wall portion 754). This also helps to prevent damage to the insertion hole 75.

[0062] The load from the occupants also acts on the upper surface of the side finisher 7, and this load mainly causes the side finisher 7 to bend laterally and downward (pushing it outwards in the direction between arrows L and D in Figure 4(b)). In contrast, since the protruding portion 742 of the side finisher 7 extends upward from the base portion 741, the opening of the upper surface of the side finisher 7 can be effectively restricted by the protruding portion 742 compared to a configuration in which the protruding portion 742 extends only to the rear (or downward) from the base portion 741. Therefore, the side finisher 7 can be stably fixed to the mounting bracket 6.

[0063] Furthermore, the protruding portion 742 also extends rearward from the base portion 741 (see Figure 4(a)), and the outer shape of the rearward protruding portion corresponds to the shape of the insertion portion 640 and the tapered portion 641 (the protruding portion 742 as a whole is roughly trapezoidal). This makes it possible to increase the amount of protrusion of the protruding portion 742 toward the rear while forming the protruding portion 742 in a shape that can be inserted into the guide hole 64 (insertion portion 640 and tapered portion 641).

[0064] By increasing the amount of the rearward projection 742, the bending strength of the projection 742 relative to the base 741 can be improved compared to a configuration in which the projection 742 only extends upward from the base 741. Therefore, even if loads from the occupants are repeatedly applied to the upper surface of the side finisher 7, damage to the guide projection 74 (projection 742) can be suppressed.

[0065] Here, the load applied to the side finisher 7 comes not only from the occupants sitting in the vehicle seat 1, but also from the occupants sitting in the rear seats of the vehicle seat 1. When this rearward load acts on the outer circumference 71 (see Figure 2) of the side finisher 7, there is a risk that the side finisher 7 may detach from the inner cover 8 (see Figure 1) or be damaged. A configuration to suppress such detachment or damage of the side finisher 7 will be explained with reference to Figure 5.

[0066] Figure 5(a) is a perspective view of the side finisher 7, enlarged from the Va portion in Figure 2, and Figure 5(b) is a side view of the side finisher 7 in the direction of arrow Vb in Figure 5(a). In Figure 5(b), among the components arranged inside the side finisher 7, the side frame 20 is shown with a dashed line, and the bracket 40 of the reclining device 4 is shown with a dashed line.

[0067] As shown in Figure 5, the portion of the outer circumference 71 of the side finisher 7 that covers the side frame 20 and the bracket 40 of the reclining device 4 (hereinafter referred to as "other parts 20, 40") from the rear will be described as the rear portion 710. The rear portion 710 is the portion that overlaps with the side frame 20 and the reclining device 4 (bracket 40) when viewed in the front-to-back direction.

[0068] A gap is formed between the rear portion 710 and the other components 20 and 40, and although not shown in the figure, a gap is also formed between the covering portion 70 and the other components 20 and 40. A rear restricting wall 76 and a side restricting wall 77 are integrally formed on the rear portion 710 (covering portion 70 and outer peripheral portion 71) of the side finisher 7 to fill these gaps.

[0069] Each of these restricting walls 76, 77 comprises flat transverse ribs 760, 770 extending from the rear portion 710 toward the other components 20, 40 (towards the front), and flat longitudinal ribs 761, 771 extending in the vertical direction (the direction in which the rear portion 710 extends). Each restricting wall 76, 77 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped wall (a protrusion projecting forward from the rear portion 710) formed by combining a plurality of transverse ribs 760, 770 arranged in the vertical direction and a plurality of longitudinal ribs 761, 771 arranged in the left-right direction (a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the rear portion 710 extends).

[0070] The height at which the rear restricting wall 76 is erected from the covering portion 70 is greater than the height at which the side restricting walls 77 are erected. The rear restricting wall 76 is positioned between the rear portion 710 and the other components 20 and 40, while the side restricting walls 77 are positioned between the covering portion 70 and the other components 20 and 40.

[0071] As a result, even when a load from an occupant sitting in the rear seat of the vehicle seat 1 acts on the side finisher 7, the movement of the side finisher 7 toward the front and the deformation of the side finisher 7 toward the other parts 20,40 (for example, the rear portion 710) can be restricted by the contact between each restricting wall 76,77 and the other parts 20,40. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the side finisher 7 from falling off the inner cover 8 (see Figure 1) or the side finisher 7 (for example, the rear portion 710) from being damaged.

[0072] Here, of the multiple fitting holes 73 into which the claws 80 (see Figure 1) of the inner cover 8 are fitted, some of the fitting holes 73 are integrally formed with the rear portion 710. Therefore, for example, it is possible to adjust the height (amount of protrusion to the front) of the fitting holes 73 rising from the rear portion 710 and fill the gap between the rear portion 710 and the other parts 20, 40 with the fitting holes 73. However, in such a configuration, when a load from the rear acts on the side finisher 7, the fitting holes 73 collide with the other parts 20, 40, making it easy for the claws 80 (see Figure 1) of the inner cover 8 to come out of the fitting holes 73 or for the claws 80 to break.

[0073] In contrast, in this embodiment, since each restricting wall 76, 77 is formed between the multiple fitting holes 73 arranged along the rear portion 710, even if a load from the rear side acts on the side finisher 7, the restricting walls 76, 77 can prevent such load from being applied to the fitting portion between the fitting hole 73 and the claw 80, or from the fitting hole 73 coming into contact with other parts 20, 40. This prevents the claw 80 from coming out of the fitting hole 73 or from being damaged.

[0074] Although the present invention has been described above based on the above embodiments, it can be easily inferred that the present invention is not limited in any way to the above embodiments, and that various modifications and improvements are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the case in which the insertion portion 62 and guide hole 64 are formed on the mounting bracket 6, which is a separate component from the side frame 20, was described, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, either the insertion portion 62 or the guide hole 64 may be formed on the side frame 20, or the mounting bracket 6 may be omitted and both the insertion portion 62 and the guide hole 64 may be formed on the side frame 20.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the case in which the insertion hole 75 is formed forward of the guide projection 74 has been described, but this is not necessarily the only case. For example, the insertion hole 75 may be omitted, and a projection similar to the guide projection 74 may be formed on the front end portion of the side finisher 7, while a hole (corresponding to the guide hole 64) for engaging with that projection may be formed in the mounting bracket 6.

[0077] Furthermore, without omitting the insertion hole 75, projections similar to the guide projection 74 may be formed separately on the front side of the guide projection 74 (between the guide projection 74 and the insertion hole 75) or on the rear side of the guide projection 74 (between the foremost claw 72 and the guide projection 74). Alternatively, the guide projection 74 may be formed on the front end portion of the side finisher 7, and the insertion hole 75 may be formed behind the guide projection 74. In other words, the number and arrangement of the guide projections 74 and insertion holes 75 can be changed as appropriate, and the insertion portion 62 and guide hole 64 should be formed at positions corresponding to their number and arrangement.

[0078] In the above embodiment, an upper guide wall portion 757, a lower guide wall portion 758, and a lateral guide wall portion 759 that guide the insertion of the insertion portion 62 into the insertion hole 75 have been described, but some or all of these walls 757 to 759 may be omitted.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the case in which the guide hole 64 is composed of an insertion portion 640, a tapered portion 641, and an engaging portion 642 was described, but for example, the tapered portion 641 may be omitted. Also, although the case in which the front end portion of the guide hole 64 (insertion portion 640) is closed was described, this portion may be left open.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the case in which the protruding portion 742 of the guide projection 74 protrudes in both upward and backward directions from the base portion 741 has been described, but it is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the protruding portion 742 may protrude in only one direction among the upward, backward, and downward directions, or it may protrude in two directions. Furthermore, the protruding portion 742 may protrude from the base portion 741 in upward, backward, and downward directions, or the protruding portion 742 may be omitted.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the case in which the outer shape of the protruding portion 742 is a trapezoidal shape corresponding to the insertion portion 640 and the tapered portion 641 was described, but the outer shape of the protruding portion 742 may be a different shape from the insertion portion 640 and the tapered portion 641 (for example, a circle, square, rectangle, other polygon, or a shape that combines these).

[0082] In the above embodiment, a rear restricting wall 76 and a side restricting wall 77 are formed to restrict the deformation of the side finisher 7 toward the other parts 20 and 40. However, either one or both of these restricting walls 76 and 77 may be omitted, or walls corresponding to each of the restricting walls 76 and 77 may be formed separately in other parts of the side finisher 7. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0083] 1. Vehicle seat 2 Cushion Frames 20 Side frame (other parts) 40 Bracket (other parts) 6. Mounting bracket 62 Insertion section 64 guide holes 640 Insertion part 641 Tapered section 642 Engaging part 7 Side Finisher 70 Covered part 71 Outer periphery 710 Back section 72. Claws (fitting part) 73. Fitting hole (fitting part) 74 Guide projections 741 Base 742 Overhang 75 Insertion hole 757 Upper guide wall section (guide wall section) 758 Lower guide wall section (guide wall section) 759 Horizontal guide wall section (guide wall section) 76 Rear barrier (barrier) 77 Side restrictive wall (restrictive wall) 80. Claws (fitting part) 81. Fitting hole (fitting part)

Claims

1. It comprises a cushion frame, a side frame extending in the front-to-back direction, and a side finisher covering the sides of the side frame, Each of the side frame and the side finisher is provided with a fitting portion that engages with the side finisher by pushing it in from the side. On the side frame side, a guide hole is formed in front of the fitting portion. The side finisher is provided with a guide projection that slidably engages with the guide hole from the front side, When the guide projection is engaged with the guide hole, the displacement of the side finisher in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted. A vehicle seat characterized in that the fitting portion is not formed on the side in front of the guide projection.

2. The side frame has an insertion portion that protrudes toward the front. The side finisher is formed in front of the guide projection and has an insertion hole into which the insertion portion is inserted from the rear opening. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, characterized in that when the insertion portion is inserted into the insertion hole, the displacement of the side finisher in the vertical and horizontal directions is restricted.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, characterized in that the side finisher is formed in a rib shape extending rearward from the rear end of the insertion hole and includes a guide wall portion that slopes toward the rearward side away from the insertion portion.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide hole comprises an insertion portion that opens larger than the outer shape of the guide projection, a tapered portion that is connected to the rear of the insertion portion and whose vertical opening dimension gradually narrows toward the rear, and an engaging portion that is connected to the rear of the tapered portion and into which the guide projection engages.

5. The guide projection comprises a base that engages with the engagement portion and an overhang that extends upward from the left-right inner end of the base, The vehicle seat according to claim 4, characterized in that the displacement of the side finisher toward the left and right outward direction is restricted by the protruding portion.

6. The aforementioned protruding portion extends upward and backward from the left-right inner end of the base, The vehicle seat according to claim 5, characterized in that the outer shape of the protruding portion corresponds to the shape of the insertion portion and the tapered portion.

7. The side finisher comprises a covering portion that covers the side surface of the side frame, and an outer peripheral portion that rises from the outer edge of the covering portion toward the side frame, The outer periphery includes a rear portion that covers other components located inside the side frame from the rear. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, characterized in that a restricting wall is formed on the rear portion to restrict the deformation of the side finisher toward the other component.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 7, characterized in that the side finisher comprises a plurality of fitting portions arranged along the rear portion and a regulating wall formed between the plurality of fitting portions.

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