Vehicle seat structure

Abstract

Use the side rests properly as backrests. [Solution] The seat includes a seat bottom that supports the occupant's buttocks and a seat back that supports the occupant's back, and a side rest that protrudes forward from the side of the seat back, with its upper surface functioning as an armrest, and whose tip rotates upward, with its back surface being able to be stored at the same position as the front of the seat back, wherein the upper side of the side rest is softer than the back side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat structure, particularly to the configuration of a siderest that can be used as an armrest and a backrest.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an armrest for supporting the front arm part (the part below the elbow) of an occupant may be provided on the side part of a vehicle seat. This armrest is configured to protrude forward from the side of the seat back that supports the occupant's back. And the base of the armrest is rotatably fixed to the seat back, and in many cases, it can be rotated backward and stored on the side of the seat back.

[0003] Here, in Patent Document 1, it is shown that when the armrest is stored, the inclination of the front surface (the lower surface when the armrest is in use) at the time of storage is made to match the inclination of the end part of the seat back, and the step at the connection part between the two is eliminated. It is said that the appearance is improved by such a configuration.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, when the armrest is stored, the seat back looks as if it is widened. However, sufficient consideration has not been given to using the stored armrest together with the seat back. In this specification, an armrest that functions not only as an armrest but also as a backrest is called a siderest.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle seat structure according to this disclosure includes a seat including a seat bottom that supports the occupant's buttocks and a seat back that supports the occupant's back, and a side rest that protrudes forward from the side of the seat back, with its upper surface functioning as an armrest, and whose tip rotates upward, with its back surface being able to be stored at the same position as the front of the seat back, wherein the upper side of the side rest is softer than the back side.

[0007] The aforementioned side rest consists of an upper part on the top side and a lower part on the back side, with the upper part being made of a softer material than the lower part.

[0008] The lower part is made of a material with the same softness as the seat back.

[0009] The side rest further includes a surface material formed on its upper surface, the surface material being made of a material with lower resilience compared to other parts of the side rest. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the vehicle seat structure described herein, the side rest can be used not only as an armrest but also as a backrest, and the user is less likely to feel uncomfortable when using it. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing a vehicle seat structure according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic side view showing the seat, the adjacent side rest, and the center console. [Figure 3A] This figure shows the side of the seat and the longitudinal section of the adjacent side rest when the side rest is in the forward-swiveled position. [Figure 3B] This figure shows the side of the seat and a cross-section of the adjacent side rest when the side rest is in the rearward-swiveled position. [Figure 4] This is a schematic side view showing the position of the side rest when it is rotated forward. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the state when both side rests rotate forward and function as armrests. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are not limiting to this disclosure, and configurations formed by selectively combining multiple examples are also included in this disclosure.

[0013] "Overall structure of vehicle seat configuration" Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a vehicle seat structure according to an embodiment. In this example, two separate seats 10 are shown, specifically a right seat 10a and a left seat 10b. In this example, the seats 10 (right seat 10a, left seat 10b) are rear seats, but they may also be front seats. In this specification, left and right refer to the left and right when the vehicle is facing forward.

[0014] Each seat 10 includes a seat bottom 12 that supports the occupant's buttocks and a seat back 14 that supports the back. The seat bottom 12 is preferably adjustable in terms of its fore-aft position, height, and fore-aft angle relative to the body. The seat back 14 is often able to rotate around its lower end relative to the seat bottom through a reclining function.

[0015] The seatback 14 has a central portion 14a located towards the center in the left-right direction and side portions 14b on both sides. The central portion 14a is recessed towards the rear to support the occupant's back. The side portions 14b on both sides are positioned forward, rising from the central portion 14a, and extend to the side edges of the seatback 14. The upper surface of the side portions 14b is convex, but it rises from the end on the central portion 14a side, and at the side edges, it is a surface that extends almost horizontally, i.e., a surface that is almost perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the seatback 14. It may also extend laterally towards the front as a surface complementary to the occupant's shoulders.

[0016] On the center side of the right seat 10a, a right side rest 20a is arranged, and on the right side (center side) of the left seat 10b, a left side rest 20b is arranged. The side rests 20 (20a, 20b) function as armrests or backrests on the sides of the seats 10 (10a, 10b). The side rest 20 is pivotally supported at the corresponding position of the lower end of the seat back 14 of the seat 10. The side rest 20 is rotatable about the axis at the lower end such that the front end side pivots from the front upward and obliquely backward to the rear.

[0017] In this embodiment, the side rest 20 is pivotally supported by the vehicle body and is independent of the reclining of the seat back 14 of the seat 10, but the side rest may be pivotally supported by the seat back 14.

[0018] When the side rest 20 is at the lower limit position where the front end is on the front side, the upper surface of the side rest 20 becomes substantially horizontal and functions as an armrest on which the occupant can rest the elbow. At this time, the side rest 20 is locked so as not to rotate further downward, but rotation upward may be made possible.

[0019] When the front end of the side rest 20 is at the rear limit position, the back surface of the side rest 20 is located on the side of the adjacent seat 10 with the back surface facing obliquely rearward. Therefore, the back surface of the side rest 20 functions as a backrest extending the side portion 14b of the left seat 10b laterally.

[0020] Here, in the rotation range of a predetermined angle (for example, 50 - 60 degrees) forward from the rear limit position, it may be possible to lock at an arbitrary position.

[0021] A center console 30 is positioned between the right seat 10a and the left seat 10b. The center console 30 includes storage space and connectors 34 for connecting various devices such as mobile phones. In this example, the center console 30 includes a back portion 32 that extends to the same height as the seat back 14 on the rear side of the side rest 20. A buckle 40 into which the seat belt buckle (tongue) is inserted and secured is positioned on the side of the seat bottom 12 facing the center of the vehicle.

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic side view showing the right seat 10a, the adjacent right side rest 20a, and the center console 30. In this example, a backrest 32 rises from the rear of the center console 30. This backrest 32 functions as a partition between the front and rear spaces of the seat 10, but it may also support the upper surface of the side rest 20 when the side rest 20 is rotated to the rear.

[0023] Thus, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the side rest 20 (20a) functions as an armrest in the forward rotation position (lower limit position), and the back surface of the side rest 20 functions as a backrest in the rear rotation position (around the rear limit position).

[0024] Figures 3A and 3B show the longitudinal and transverse sections of the side portion 14b of the left seat 10b and the adjacent side rest 20 (20b), with Figure 3A showing the forward rotation position and Figure 3B showing the rearward rotation position.

[0025] Here, the urethane foam inside the seat 10 is relatively firm. Therefore, the urethane foam in the lower part 22a located on the back side of the side rest 20 is made of a relatively firm material, similar to that of the seat 10. On the other hand, the urethane foam in the upper part 22b located on the top side of the side rest 20 is relatively soft, so that when it functions as an armrest, it softly supports the occupant's arm.

[0026] Furthermore, a thin layer made of low-rebound urethane foam is placed on the upper surface of the side rest 20 as a surface material 22c. In other words, the surface material 22c is made of urethane foam that is less resilient than the upper part 22b and the lower part 22a.

[0027] The seat 10 has a surface covering material such as cloth or leather, and is filled with an elastic material such as urethane foam inside. It also has a skeletal material such as hard plastic inside or on the back, but in the diagram, only the elastic material is shown for simplicity.

[0028] Furthermore, the side rest 20 is also covered with a surface material 22c, upper part 22b, and lower part 22a, but the description of the surface material is omitted in the figure.

[0029] Thus, according to this embodiment, when functioning as an armrest, the low-rebound surface material 22c and the relatively soft, low-stress upper part 22b beneath it can suppress the transmission of body vibrations to the occupant's elbow, making it comfortable when the elbow is resting on it.

[0030] On the other hand, when functioning as a backrest, the lower part 22a can support the occupant's body with the same stress as the seat 10. This minimizes discomfort for the occupant when using it as a backrest.

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic side view showing the state of the side rest 20 when it is rotated forward, and in particular, a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the side rest 20. In this way, in the position where it functions as an arc rest (elbow rest), the surface material 22c is located on the upper surface that touches the elbow, a relatively soft upper part 22b is located below it, and a relatively hard lower part 22a similar to that of the seat 10 is located below that. The lower part 22a may be made of a material with the same softness as the seat 10, especially the seat back 14, as described above. The lower part 22a may also be made of the same material as the seat 10. In the figure, a core material 22d is provided inside the side rest 20. This core material 22d may be, for example, a metal plate, and a shaft material that serves as the axis of rotation may be fixed to this core material 22d.

[0032] Figure 5 shows the state when both side rests 20 (20a, 20b) are rotated forward and function as armrests. In this example, a stick-type controller 36, such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick (registered trademark), is plugged into the connector 34 of the center console 30.

[0033] Thus, the connector section 34 can accommodate earphone, HDMI®, and USB-C® cables. Furthermore, in this example, the lower limit position of the side rest 20 has been adjusted to enable the use of a stick-type controller 36, particularly the Amazon Fire TV Stick®.

[0034] "Effects of the Embodiment" In the side rest 20 according to this embodiment, the upper surface (the surface that functions as an armrest) is softer than the lower surface (the surface that functions as a backrest), so the transmission of body vibrations is suppressed, and a comfortable ride can be maintained when used as an armrest.

[0035] Furthermore, the underside is firm enough to match the seatback 14, ensuring a comfortable and natural feel when used as a backrest.

[0036] Furthermore, by providing a low-rebound urethane surface material 22c on the upper surface, the transmission of body vibrations can be suppressed even more effectively. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 10 Seat, 10a Right seat, 10b Left seat, 12 Seat bottom, 14 Seat back, 14a Center section, 14b Side section, 20 Side rest, 22a Lower section, 22b Upper section, 22c Surface material, 22d Core material, 30 Center console, 32 Rear section, 34 Connector section, 36 Stick-type controller, 40 Buckle.

Claims

1. A seat including a seat bottom that supports the occupant's buttocks and a seat back that supports the occupant's back, A side rest that protrudes forward from the side of the seat back, with its upper surface functioning as an armrest, its tip swiveling upward, and its rear side being able to be stored at the same position as the front of the seat back, Includes, The aforementioned side rest has a softer upper surface than the back surface. Vehicle seat structure.

2. A vehicle seat structure according to claim 1, The aforementioned side rest consists of an upper part on the top side and a lower part on the back side. The upper part is made of a softer material than the lower part. Vehicle seat structure.

3. A vehicle seat structure according to claim 2, The lower part is made of a material with the same softness as the seat back. Vehicle seat structure.

4. A vehicle seat structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned side rest further includes a surface material formed on its surface, The surface material is made of a material with lower resilience compared to the other parts of the side rest. Vehicle seat structure.

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