Vehicle seats

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle seat that can improve the feeling of holding the seated occupant by the outer ends of the seat cushion in the width direction of the seat. [Solution] The vehicle seat 10 comprises a plurality of spring members 22 that are installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame 12 and arranged in the seat width direction, a frame-shaped wire member 30 attached to the plurality of spring members 22 with the seat width direction as its longitudinal direction, a pair of support members 40 installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame 12 on the outer side of the plurality of spring members 22 in the seat width direction, and a pair of support plates 42 that are rotatably attached to the outer ends of the wire member 30 in the seat width direction and are movably supported by the pair of support members 40.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] A vehicle seat including left and right side frames spaced apart in the left - right direction, a front frame and a rear frame spaced apart in the front - rear direction and connecting the left and right side frames, a first vertical wire and a second vertical wire installed on the front frame and the rear frame, a reinforcing wire member arranged to intersect at least the second vertical wire when viewed from above, a plate - shaped first resin member connecting the first vertical wire and the reinforcing wire member in a state of covering a part of the first vertical wire and a part of the reinforcing wire member, and a plate - shaped second resin member connecting the second vertical wire and the reinforcing wire member in a state of covering a part of the second vertical wire and a part of the reinforcing wire member has been conventionally known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when an occupant sits on the seat cushion, the first resin member configured as described above descends while maintaining its angle following the displacement of the first vertical wire (seat cushion spring). Therefore, the holding feeling for the seated occupant by both sides of the seat cushion (both outer ends in the seat width direction of the cushion pad) decreases, and the sitting comfort performance deteriorates.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle seat capable of improving the holding feeling for a seated occupant by both outer ends in the seat width direction of the seat cushion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of spring members installed between the front and rear of a seat cushion frame and arranged in the seat width direction; a frame-shaped wire member attached to the plurality of spring members with the seat width direction as its longitudinal direction; a pair of support members installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame on the outer side of the plurality of spring members in the seat width direction; and a pair of support plates, each rotatably attached to the outer end of the wire member in the seat width direction and movably supported by the pair of support members.

[0007] According to the first embodiment of the invention, a plurality of spring members are installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame and arranged in the seat width direction, and a frame-shaped wire member with the seat width direction as its longitudinal direction is attached to the plurality of spring members. A pair of support members are installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame on the outer side of the plurality of spring members in the seat width direction, and a pair of support plates, each rotatably attached to the outer end of the wire member in the seat width direction, are movably supported by the pair of support members. Therefore, when an occupant sits on the seat cushion, the pair of support plates rotate so that their outer ends in the seat width direction face inward in the seat width direction. This improves the feeling of hold on the seated occupant by both outer ends of the seat cushion in the seat width direction.

[0008] Furthermore, a vehicle seat according to a second embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle seat according to the first embodiment, wherein the pair of support plates each have a housing portion that accommodates a part of the pair of support members.

[0009] According to the second embodiment of the invention, the pair of support plates each have a housing portion that accommodates a part of the pair of support members. Therefore, even when the pair of support plates rotate, they are less likely to detach from the pair of support members and can rotate smoothly.

[0010] In this invention, "a pair of support members" means that there are two support members installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame. Therefore, even if there are two independent support members, or even if there is a single support member whose rear end is integrally connected to form a roughly "U" shape in plan view, the number of support members installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame remains two, and thus it is included in "a pair of support members". [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, the feeling of being held by the seated occupant at both outer ends in the seat width direction of the seat cushion can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the seat cushion of a vehicle seat according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic front view showing the position of the support plate of the vehicle seat according to this embodiment before an occupant is seated. [Figure 3] This is a schematic front view showing the position of the support plate of the vehicle seat according to this embodiment after an occupant has been seated. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of explanation, in each figure, the arrow UP indicates the upward direction of the vehicle seat, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction of the vehicle seat, and the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction of the vehicle seat. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions of up and down, front and back, and left and right refer to the up and down, front and back, and left and right directions of the vehicle seat. The left and right direction is synonymous with the seat width direction.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment has a seat cushion frame 12 provided inside a seat cushion (not shown). The seat cushion frame 12 has a pair of left and right metal side frames (not shown), a cylindrical metal front rod 14 mounted on the front end of the side frame (front part of the seat cushion frame 12) with the seat width direction as the axial direction, and a cylindrical metal rear rod 16 mounted on the rear end of the side frame (rear part of the seat cushion frame 12) with the seat width direction as the axial direction.

[0015] Between the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16, a metal seat cushion spring 20 is installed to support the cushion pad (not shown) that forms part of the seat cushion together with the seat cushion frame 12 from below. The seat cushion spring 20 is composed of two sets (or more sets) of linear spring members 22 that are roughly "U" shaped with a bend in the middle when viewed from above, arranged in the direction of the seat width. In other words, the seat cushion spring 20 is composed of four (or more) linear spring members 22 that are bent in the middle, arranged in the direction of the seat width, with the rear ends of two spring members 22 on each side being integrally connected.

[0016] In other words, this seat cushion spring 20 is composed of two spring members 22, each of which has a rear portion 24 that extends inclined forward and downward from its rear end, a center portion 26 that extends substantially horizontally forward from the front end of the rear portion 24, and a front portion 28 that extends inclined forward and upward from the front end of the center portion 26.

[0017] The pair of spring members 22 in the rear section 24 are bent such that the spacing between them along the seat width direction is larger at the rear and smaller at the front. The rear ends 22B of each spring member 22 in the rear section 24 are attached to the rear rod 16 by being locked from above.

[0018] Note that the rear end portions 22B of the respective spring members 22 in the rear portion 24 are integrally connected by a connecting portion 21 extending in the seat width direction. Also, as shown in the drawing, a resin cover may be provided at the rear end portion 22B of each spring member 22, for example, by insert molding.

[0019] The pair of two spring members 22 in the center portion 26 are bent so that the interval along the seat width direction is larger on the rear side and smaller on the front side. The interval on the rear side of each spring member 22 in the center portion 26 is made larger than the interval on the rear side of each spring member 22 in the rear portion 24.

[0020] That is, the portions that are bent substantially at right angles in a direction separating from each other from the front end portions of the respective spring members 22 in the rear portion 24 and extend in the seat width direction are the rear end portions of the respective spring members 22 in the center portion 26. And the front end portions of the respective spring members 22 in the center portion 26 are also bent substantially at right angles in a direction separating from each other and extend in the seat width direction.

[0021] The pair of two spring members 22 in the front portion 28 are bent in a substantially "S" shape or a substantially "S" shape with the front and back reversed in a plan view, including the front end portions of the respective spring members 22 in the center portion 26. And the front end portions 22A of the respective spring members 22 in the front portion 28 are locked and attached to the front rod 14 from above. Note that, as shown in the drawing, a resin cover may also be provided at the front end portion 22A of each spring member 22, for example, by insert molding.

[0022] Also, the respective spring members 22 in the center portion 26 are arranged in a substantially same plane, and a wire member 30 having a substantially rectangular frame shape in a plan view with the seat width direction as the longitudinal direction is integrally attached to the respective spring members 22 in the center portion 26.

[0023] The wire member 30 is made of metal and formed in a circular cross-sectional shape with a predetermined outer diameter. The outer end portion 32 in the seat width direction that extends in the front-rear direction is located outside the seat width direction of each spring member 22 in the center portion 26. This wire member 30 functions as a stabilizer for synchronizing each spring member 22 in the center portion 26 and is used to suppress the lateral sway of the seated occupant sitting on the vehicle seat 10.

[0024] The rear end portion 34 of the wire member 30 that extends in the seat width direction is disposed on the upper surface of the rear end portion of each spring member 22 in the center portion 26 that extends in the seat width direction. The front end portion 36 of the wire member 30 that extends in the seat width direction is disposed on the upper surface of the front end portion of each spring member 22 in the center portion 26 that extends in the seat width direction.

[0025] Then, by means of a resin coupling member 38, the rear end portion 34 of the wire member 30 is coupled to the rear end portion of each spring member 22 in the center portion 26, and the front end portion 36 of the wire member 30 is coupled to the front end portion of each spring member 22 in the center portion 26. That is, this wire member 30 is integrally coupled to the seat cushion spring 20 by a coupling member 38 formed, for example, by insert molding.

[0026] Also, between the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16 on the outer side in the seat width direction of the seat cushion spring 20 (each spring member 22), linear support members 40 extending in the front-rear direction are respectively installed. The pair of left and right support members 40 are made of metal and formed in a circular cross-sectional shape with a predetermined outer diameter (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0027] Then, the front end portion 40A and the rear end portion 40B of the support member 40 are respectively welded and attached to the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16. Note that the method of attaching the front end portion 40A and the rear end portion 40B of the support member 40 to the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16 is not limited to this, and for example, they may be attached by being locked from above to the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16 respectively.

[0028] Furthermore, the support member 40 is not limited to a configuration in which two independent members are provided. For example, the rear end portion 40B attached to the rear rod 16 may be integrally connected in the left-right direction (the axial direction of the rear rod 16). In other words, the support member 40 may be a single member in a roughly "U" shape in plan view, with the front side being the open side.

[0029] However, even in this case, the number of support members 40 installed between the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16 remains two, so they are referred to as a pair of support members 40. In other words, "a pair" in this embodiment means that the number of support members 40 installed between the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16 is two.

[0030] Approximately in the extensional direction, the center of each support member 40 is positioned approximately in the sheet width direction of a roughly rectangular, flat resin support plate 42, with the front-to-back direction as its longitudinal direction. Specifically, this pair of support plates 42 are supported by the pair of support members 40 so as to be movable (slidable) in the sheet width direction when viewed from above.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each support plate 42 has a housing portion 44 formed on its lower surface that accommodates a portion of each support member 40 (a predetermined area excluding the front end portion 40A and the rear end portion 40B which are attached to the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16, respectively) so that they can move (slide) relative to each other.

[0032] The accommodating section 44 is formed between the support plate 42 and a pair of claw portions 46 that are integrally extended in a roughly "L" shape when viewed from the front, extending inward in the sheet width direction from the outer portions of the front-rear ends of the support plate 42 in the sheet width direction, and the distance between the support plate 42 and the claw portions 46 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the support member 40. In addition, a projection 48 is integrally formed at the inner end of the claw portion 46 in the sheet width direction, projecting toward the lower surface of the support plate 42.

[0033] Therefore, each support member 40 is configured to be housed within each housing portion 44 of each support plate 42 by elastically deforming each claw portion 46 to overcome each protrusion 48 relative to it. Within each housing portion 44, each support member 40 is configured to be able to move (slide) relative to it in the sheet width direction, and the protrusions 48 make it difficult for it to come out of each housing portion 44.

[0034] Furthermore, the inner end 42A of each support plate 42 in the sheet width direction is rotatably attached to the outer end 32 of the wire member 30 in the sheet width direction. That is, the inner end 42A of each support plate 42 in the sheet width direction is formed in a roughly "C" shape when viewed in cross-section, and its inner diameter is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the outer end 32 of the wire member 30 in the sheet width direction. Therefore, the inner end 42A of each support plate 42 in the sheet width direction is fitted to the outer end 32 of the wire member 30 in the sheet width direction, thereby being easily and rotatably attached to the outer end 32 of the wire member 30 in the sheet width direction.

[0035] Furthermore, each support member 40 is positioned above the outer end 32 of the wire member 30 in the seat width direction. Therefore, each support plate 42 is positioned in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle α° upward and outward in the seat width direction relative to the horizontal direction when viewed from the front. As a result, each support plate 42 supports both outer ends of the cushion pad in the seat width direction from below, on the outer side of the seat cushion spring 20 in the seat width direction and on the inner side of each side frame in the seat width direction.

[0036] The vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment, which has the configuration described above, will now be explained in terms of its operation.

[0037] As described above, multiple spring members 22 are installed between the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16 of the seat cushion frame 12 and are arranged in the seat width direction, and a wire member 30, which is roughly rectangular in shape in plan view with the seat width direction as its longitudinal direction, is integrally attached to the center portion 26 of the multiple spring members 22 (seat cushion springs 20).

[0038] Furthermore, on the outer side in the seat width direction of the multiple spring members 22 (seat cushion springs 20), a pair of support members 40 are installed between the front rod 14 and the rear rod 16 of the seat cushion frame 12, and a pair of support plates 42, each with an inner end 42A in the seat width direction rotatably attached to the outer end 32 in the seat width direction of the wire member 30, are supported by the pair of support members 40 so as to be movable (slidable) in the seat width direction.

[0039] Therefore, when an occupant sits on the seat cushion of the vehicle seat 10, and each spring member 22 in the center section 26 descends (see arrow F in Figure 3), the pair of support plates 42 rotate so that their outer ends in the seat width direction move inward in the seat width direction, with their inner ends 42A in the seat width direction acting as a pivot point, as the outer ends 32 in the seat width direction of the wire members 30, which follow the descent of each spring member 22 in the center section 26, descend slightly (see arrow R in Figure 3).

[0040] Here, each support plate 42 has a housing portion 44 that accommodates a part of each support member 40 so that it can move (slide) relative to each other. Therefore, even if each support plate 42 rotates when an occupant sits on the seat cushion of the vehicle seat 10, each support plate 42 can rotate smoothly without easily coming off each support member 40.

[0041] Each support plate 42, having rotated in this manner, is positioned in a posture inclined at a predetermined angle β° (β° < α°) outward and upward in the seat width direction relative to the horizontal direction when viewed from the front. This improves the feeling of hold on the seated occupant by both outer ends of the seat cushion in the seat width direction, thereby improving the seating comfort performance for the occupant.

[0042] In other words, even if a seated occupant sitting in the vehicle seat 10 swings (moves from side to side) to one side, and a downward load is applied to the outer end of the cushion pad in the seat width direction, the outer end of the cushion pad in the seat width direction is effectively supported by the support plate 42, thus suppressing the feeling of instability for the seated occupant.

[0043] The vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment has been described above based on the drawings, but the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the illustrated version and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the wire member 30 may be joined to each spring member 22 in the center portion 26 by welding or adhesive, or it may be joined by a resin clip (not shown) with a substantially "C" shaped cross-section.

[0044] Furthermore, instead of a claw portion 46, a cylindrical portion (not shown) may be formed on the lower side of the support plate 42, forming a roughly rectangular cylindrical shape when viewed from the front with the support plate 42. That is, the support member 40 may be inserted through the cylindrical portion formed on the lower side of the support plate 42, and then its front end 40A and rear end 40B may be attached to the front rod 14 and rear rod 16, respectively. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Vehicle seats 12 Seat Cushion Frame 22 Spring component 30 Wire members 40 Support member 42 Support plate 44 containment section

Claims

1. Multiple spring members are installed between the front and rear of the seat cushion frame and are arranged in the width direction of the seat, A frame-shaped wire member attached to the plurality of spring members with the sheet width direction as the longitudinal direction, A pair of support members are installed between the front and rear portions of the seat cushion frame on the outer side of the plurality of spring members in the seat width direction, A pair of support plates are rotatably attached to the outer ends of the wire member in the sheet width direction, and are movably supported by the pair of support members, A vehicle seat equipped with [a specific feature / feature].

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the pair of support plates each have a housing portion that accommodates a part of the pair of support members.

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