Vehicle seats

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle seat that can suppress changes in the amount of operation of the cable used to operate the sliding mechanism. [Solution] The vehicle seat 10 comprises a seat cushion 12, a sliding mechanism 100, a cable bracket 108 connected to the sliding mechanism 100, a tilt mechanism 60, and a cable 111. The cable 111 has an outer tube 112 and an inner cable 114. One end 114A of the inner cable 114 is locked to the cable bracket 108. In a side view of the seat, the movement trajectory of one end 112A of the outer tube 112 when the seat cushion 12 descends is an arc-shaped movement trajectory around the rotation axis of the front link 62. One end 114A of the inner cable 114 is located closer to the rotation center of the front link 62 than one end 112A of the outer tube 112.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a vehicle seat provided with a slide mechanism for sliding a seat cushion in the front-rear direction and a tilt-down mechanism for lowering the seat cushion. In the vehicle seat described in this document, the slide mechanism can be operated via a cable.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in a vehicle seat in which the slide mechanism can be operated via a cable, when the seat cushion is displaced in the vertical direction, it is conceivable that the operation amount of the cable for operating the slide mechanism changes.

[0005] In consideration of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle seat capable of suppressing a change in the operation amount of a cable for operating a slide mechanism.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle seat according to the first embodiment includes a seat cushion that supports the buttocks of a seated occupant from below, a slide mechanism provided below the seat cushion that supports the seat cushion so that it can slide in the front-rear direction, a cable bracket provided below the seat cushion and connected to the slide mechanism, a tilt mechanism provided between the seat cushion and the slide mechanism that lowers the seat cushion by rotational displacement of a link, a cylindrical outer tube, and an inner cable inserted into the outer tube, with one end of the outer tube The inner cable, which is pulled out, has one end that is locked to the cable bracket, and the sliding mechanism is operated when the inner cable is pulled. In a side view of the seat, when the seat cushion is lowered, the trajectory of one end of the outer tube is an arc-shaped trajectory around the rotation axis on the sliding mechanism side of the link, at which point one end of the outer tube is locked to the seat cushion side, and one end of the inner cable is provided closer to the rotation center of the link than one end of the outer tube.

[0007] In the first embodiment of the vehicle seat, when the inner cable constituting the cable is pulled, the sliding mechanism is operated via the cable bracket. Here, in a side view of the seat, when the seat cushion descends, the trajectory of one end of the outer tube is such that it follows an arc-shaped movement trajectory around the rotation axis on the sliding mechanism side of the link, and at this position, one end of the outer tube is locked to the seat cushion. Also, one end of the inner cable is positioned closer to the rotation center of the link than one end of the outer tube. In this configuration, when the seat cushion descends, that is, when the tilt mechanism is activated and the link is rotated, the distance between one end of the outer tube and one end of the inner cable does not change easily. As a result, bending of the portion of the inner cable that is pulled out from one end of the outer tube is suppressed in conjunction with the operation of the tilt mechanism. This makes it possible to suppress changes in the amount of operation of the inner cable used to operate the sliding mechanism.

[0008] A vehicle seat in the second embodiment is provided with a pair of left and right links spaced apart in the width direction of the seat, a connecting member is provided at the longitudinal middle of the pair of left and right links to connect the pair of left and right links in the left-right direction, and one end of the outer tube is locked to the connecting member.

[0009] In the second embodiment of the vehicle seat, a connecting member is provided at the midpoint of the longitudinal direction of the pair of left and right links, and one end of the outer tube is locked to the connecting member. In this configuration, for example, the distance between one end of the outer tube and the cable bracket can be shortened compared to a configuration in which one end of the outer tube is locked to the cushion frame that constitutes the skeleton of the seat cushion. This makes it possible to suppress the length of the portion of the inner cable that is pulled out from one end of the outer tube from becoming too long. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The vehicle seat according to the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to suppress changes in the amount of operation of the cable used to operate the sliding mechanism. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a side view showing a part of a vehicle seat, with the seat back positioned to support the back of the seated occupant. [Figure 2] This is a side view corresponding to Figure 1, which shows the vehicle seat in the process of being stored. [Figure 3] This is a side view corresponding to Figure 1, which shows the stored state of the vehicle seat. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a vehicle seat in its pre-storage state, cut along the vertical and longitudinal directions. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 4, which shows a vehicle seat in its stowed state. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] A vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In the figures, arrow FR indicates the front side of the vehicle seat, and arrow UP indicates the upper side of the seat. Furthermore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, when the front / rear, up / down, and left / right directions are indicated, they refer to the front / rear direction of the seat, the up / down direction of the seat, and the left / right direction of the seat width. In addition, some reference numerals may be omitted in each figure for the sake of clarity.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the vehicle seat 10 of this embodiment includes a seat cushion 12 that supports the seated occupant's buttocks from below and a seat back 14 that supports the seated occupant's back from behind. This vehicle seat 10 includes a vehicle seat frame 20 having a cushion frame 22 that constitutes the skeleton of the seat cushion 12 and a back frame 32 that constitutes the skeleton of the seat back 14. In addition to the cushion frame 22 and the back frame 32, the vehicle seat frame 20 includes a floor mounting portion 40 attached to the vehicle floor F, a tilt mechanism 60 that connects the cushion frame 22 to the floor mounting portion 40 so that it can be tilted down, a reclining mechanism 56 that connects the back frame 32 to the floor mounting portion 40 so that it can be tilted forward and backward, and a pair of left and right hinge links 78 that are rotatably connected to the cushion frame 22 and the back frame 32, respectively.

[0014] The cushion frame 22 includes a pair of left and right side frames 24, a front frame (not shown) connecting the front ends of the left and right side frames 24 in the left-right direction, and a rear frame (not shown) connecting the rear ends of the left and right side frames 24 in the left-right direction. The left and right side frames 24 extend in the front-rear direction on the left and right sides of the seat cushion 12. The front frame extends in the left-right direction on the front of the seat cushion 12. The rear frame extends in the left-right direction on the rear of the seat cushion 12.

[0015] The back frame 32 includes a pair of left and right side frames 34, an upper frame (not shown) connecting the upper ends of the left and right side frames 34 in the left-right direction, and a lower frame (not shown) connecting the lower ends of the left and right side frames 34 in the left-right direction. The left and right side frames 34 extend vertically on the left and right sides of the seat back 14. The upper frame extends horizontally on the upper part of the seat back 14, and the lower frame extends horizontally on the lower part of the seat back 14.

[0016] The floor mounting section 40 is composed of a pair of left and right slide rails 42 that constitute the slide mechanism 100, a pair of left and right front risers 48, a pair of left and right rear risers 50, a B bracket 52, and connecting pipes (not shown). The left and right slide rails 42 are located below the left and right side frames 24 of the cushion frame 22. Each slide rail 42 comprises a lower rail 44 fixed to the vehicle floor F and an upper rail 46 supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the lower rail 44. The lower rail 44 and the upper rail 46 are elongated with their longitudinal side in the front-rear direction. A towel bar 102 is provided at the front of the pair of left and right slide rails 42. Both ends of the towel bar 102 in the left-right direction are connected to a limiting mechanism that restricts the sliding of the upper rail 46 relative to the lower rail 44. The middle part of the towel bar 102 in the left-right direction is an operating section 102A that extends in the left-right direction on the front side of the pair of left and right slide rails 42. By pulling this operating section 102A upward, the restriction on the sliding of the upper rail 46 relative to the lower rail 44 by the limiting mechanism is released, allowing the upper rail 46 to slide relative to the lower rail 44.

[0017] The left and right front risers 48, left and right rear risers 50, and B bracket 52 are made of, for example, press-formed metal plate material, and the connecting pipe is made of, for example, metal pipe material. The left and right front risers 48 and the left and right rear risers 50 may be formed as a single unit, or the left rear riser 50 and the B bracket 52 may be formed as a single unit. The left and right front risers 48 are fixed to the upper surface of the front part of the left and right upper rails 46, and the left and right rear risers 50 are fixed to the upper surface of the rear part of the left and right upper rails 46. The left and right rear risers 50 extend upward from the left and right front risers 48. The B bracket 52 is fixed to the upper part of the left rear riser 50.

[0018] The B bracket 52 is in the shape of a plate with the left - right direction being the plate - thickness direction. The lower part of the B bracket 52 is overlapped with the upper part of the left rear riser 50 from the outside in the left - right direction and is fixed to the left rear riser 50 by bolt fastening. The left and right rear risers 50 are connected in the left - right direction by a connecting pipe arranged with the left - right direction as the axial direction. The upper part of the B bracket 52 faces the lower end part of the left side - frame 34 of the back frame 32 from the outside in the left - right direction. Between the B bracket 52 and the left side - frame 34, a recliner 58 that constitutes the main part of the reclining mechanism 56 is arranged. The lower end part of the left side - frame 34 is connected to the B bracket 52 via this recliner 58. The lower end part of the right side - frame 34 is rotatably connected to the right rear riser 50 around an axis coaxial with the recliner 58.

[0019] The reclining mechanism 56 has an unlocking lever (not shown) for unlocking the recliner 58. The unlocking lever is provided, for example, on the side of the rear part of the seat cushion 12 or at the shoulder of the seat back 14. In a state where the unlocking lever is operated and the lock of the recliner 58 is released, the seat back 14 is configured to be rotatable (tiltable) around the axis of the recliner 58 with respect to the floor mounting part 40.

[0020] The tilt mechanism 60 includes a pair of left - right front links 62 as links rotatably connected to the front parts of the left - right side - frames 24 of the cushion frame 22 and the left - right front risers 48 respectively, and a pair of left - right rear links 64 rotatably connected to the rear parts of the left - right side - frames 24 and the left - right rear risers 50 respectively. The left - right front links 62 and the left - right rear links 64 are formed in a long shape, for example, by press - forming a metal plate.

[0021] One longitudinal end of each of the left and right front links 62 is rotatably connected to the front portions of the left and right side frames 24 about left and right connecting shafts (not shown) having the left - right direction as the axial direction. The other longitudinal ends of the left and right front links 62 are rotatably connected to the left and right front risers 48 about left and right connecting shafts 66 having the left - right direction as the axial direction. The middle portions in the longitudinal direction of the pair of left and right front links 62 are connected via a connecting member 104 (see also FIG. 4) formed in a tubular shape with the left - right direction as the axial direction.

[0022] One longitudinal end of each of the left and right rear links 64 is rotatably connected to the rear portions of the left and right side frames 24 about a connecting shaft 68 having the left - right direction as the axial direction. The other longitudinal ends of the left and right rear links 64 are rotatably connected to the left and right rear risers 50 about a connecting shaft 70 having the left - right direction as the axial direction. This tilt mechanism 60 enables the seat cushion 12 to tilt down from the seating use position shown in FIG. 1 to the storage position (tilt - down position) shown in FIG. 3 with respect to the floor mounting portion 40.

[0023] The left and right hinge links 78 are formed in a long plate shape, for example, by press - forming a metal plate material, and are arranged on the outer sides in the left - right direction with respect to the lower ends of the left and right side frames 34 of the seat back 14. One longitudinal end of each of the left and right hinge links 78 is rotatably connected to the lower ends of the left and right side frames 34 of the seat back 14 about left and right connecting shafts 80 having the left - right direction as the axial direction. The other longitudinal ends of the left and right hinge links 78 are rotatably connected to the rear ends of the left and right side frames 24 of the seat cushion 12 about left and right connecting shafts 82 having the left - right direction as the axial direction.

[0024] In the vehicle seat 10 with the above configuration, the seat cushion 12 and seat back 14 are each composed of a cushion frame 22 and a back frame 32 provided on the vehicle seat frame 20. The floor mounting portion 40 of the vehicle seat frame 20 is attached to the vehicle floor F. The cushion frame 22 is connected to the floor mounting portion 40 so as to be tiltable down by a tilt mechanism 60. The back frame 32 is connected to the floor mounting portion 40 so as to be tiltable forward and backward by a reclining mechanism 56, and can be switched to a fully flat position. Left and right hinge links 78, which are rotatably connected to the cushion frame 22 and the back frame 32 respectively, tilt down the cushion frame 22 (i.e., the seat cushion 12) in conjunction with the forward tilting of the back frame 32 (i.e., the seat back 14). This makes it possible to store the seat cushion 12 and seat back 14 with a single action.

[0025] (Operating mechanism 106 for operating the towel bar 102 from the seat back 14 side) Next, we will describe the operating mechanism 106 for operating the towel bar 102 from the seat back 14 side.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, the vehicle seat 10 of this embodiment is equipped with an operating mechanism 106 for operating the towel bar 102 from the seat back 14 side. The operating mechanism 106 includes an operating lever (not shown) provided on the seat back 14, a cable bracket 108 fixed to the towel bar 102 on the lower side of the seat cushion 12, a cable 111 connecting the operating lever and the cable bracket 108, and an outer tube bracket 110 fixed to a connecting member 104.

[0027] The cable bracket 108 is formed by pressing or otherwise working on a steel plate. This cable bracket 108 has an inclined portion 108A that extends in the left-right and front-back directions and slopes upward as it approaches the front. The front end of this inclined portion 108A is joined to the operating portion 102A of the towel bar 102 by welding or other means. The cable bracket 108 also has a locking piece 108B that extends upward from the left end of the inclined portion 108A. A locking hole 108C is formed at the upper end of this locking piece 108B, which penetrates the locking piece 108B in the left-right direction.

[0028] The outer tube bracket 110 is formed by pressing or other processes on a steel plate material, similar to the cable bracket 108. The outer tube bracket 110 has a connecting member fixing portion 110A that extends in the vertical and front-to-back directions, with the left-to-right direction being the thickness direction. A recess 110B is formed on the front side of the connecting member fixing portion 110A, with the connecting member 104 side open. With a part of the connecting member 104 positioned within the recess 110B, the peripheral edge of the recess 110B in the connecting member fixing portion 110A is joined to the connecting member 104 by welding or other means. The outer tube bracket 110 also has a locking piece portion 110C that extends to the left from the lower end of the connecting member fixing portion 110A. A locking recess 110D is formed in this locking piece portion 110C, with the left side open.

[0029] The cable 111 comprises a cylindrical outer tube 112 and an inner cable 114 inserted into the outer tube 112. One end 112A of the outer tube 112 is locked into a locking recess 110D of the outer tube bracket 110. This locks the one end 112A of the outer tube 112 to the connecting member 104 via the outer tube bracket 110. The other end of the outer tube 112 is locked on the seat back side. One end 114A of the inner cable 114, which is drawn out from the one end 112A of the outer tube 112, is locked into a locking hole 108C of the cable bracket 108. The other end of the inner cable 114, which is drawn out from the other end of the outer tube 112, is locked to an operating lever provided on the seat back 14.

[0030] In this embodiment, when the seat cushion 12 descends from the position shown in Figures 1 and 4 to the position shown in Figures 3 and 5, the trajectory of one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is such that it follows an arc-shaped trajectory (the trajectory shown by the dashed line R) around the rotation axis (connecting shaft 66) on the sliding mechanism 100 side of the front link 62. At this point, one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is locked to the connecting member 104 on the seat cushion 12 side of the connecting shaft 66. In addition, one end 114A of the inner cable 114 is located on the connecting shaft 66 side of the one end 112A of the outer tube 112, and the one end 114A of the inner cable 114 and the connecting shaft 66 are located at approximately the same position.

[0031] In the embodiment described above, when the inner cable 114 constituting the cable 111 is pulled by operating the operating lever (not shown) provided on the seat back 14, the operating part 102A of the towel bar 102 is pulled upward via the cable bracket 108. As a result, the restriction on the sliding of the upper rail 46 relative to the lower rail 44 by the limiting mechanism of the sliding mechanism 100 is released, and the sliding of the upper rail 46 relative to the lower rail 44 is permitted.

[0032] Here, in a side view of the seat, when the seat cushion 12 descends from the position shown in Figures 1 and 4 to the position shown in Figures 3 and 5, the movement trajectory of one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is an arc-shaped movement trajectory (trajectory shown by the dashed line R) around the rotation axis (connecting shaft 66) on the sliding mechanism 100 side of the front link 62. At this position, one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is locked to the connecting member 104 on the seat cushion 12 side of the connecting shaft 66. In addition, one end 114A of the inner cable 114 is located on the connecting shaft 66 side of one end 112A of the outer tube 112. With this configuration, when the seat cushion 12 descends, that is, when the tilt mechanism 60 operates and the front link 62 is rotated, the distance between one end 112A of the outer tube 112 and one end 114A of the inner cable 114 does not change easily. As a result, the bending of the portion of the inner cable 114 that extends from one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is suppressed when the tilt mechanism 60 is operated. This suppresses changes in the amount of operation of the inner cable 114 used to operate the slide mechanism 100.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is locked to the connecting member 104 via the outer tube bracket 110. In this configuration, for example, the distance between one end 112A of the outer tube 112 and the cable bracket 108 can be shortened compared to a configuration in which one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is locked to the cushion frame 22 that constitutes the skeleton of the seat cushion 12. This makes it possible to suppress the length of the portion of the inner cable 114 that is pulled out from one end of the outer tube 112 from becoming too long.

[0034] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is locked to the connecting member 104 via the outer tube bracket 110, but the present invention is not limited to this. The position in which one end 112A of the outer tube 112 is locked can be set appropriately considering the space below the seat cushion 12 and the layout with other members.

[0035] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above, and can be implemented in various other ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 10 Vehicle seats 12 seat cushions 60 Tilt Mechanism 62 Front Link (Link) 100 Slide mechanism 104 Connecting Member 108 Cable Bracket 112 Outer tube 112A Outer tube, one end 114 Inner Cable 114A One end of the inner cable

Claims

1. A seat cushion that supports the seated occupant's buttocks from below, A sliding mechanism provided on the lower side of the seat cushion, which supports the seat cushion so that it can slide in the front-rear direction, A cable bracket provided on the lower side of the seat cushion and connected to the sliding mechanism, A tilt mechanism is provided between the seat cushion and the sliding mechanism, and the link rotates to lower the seat cushion. A cable comprising a cylindrical outer tube and an inner cable inserted into the outer tube, wherein one end of the inner cable, which is drawn out from one end of the outer tube, is locked to the cable bracket, and the sliding mechanism is operated when the inner cable is pulled, Equipped with, In a side view of the seat, When the seat cushion descends, the movement trajectory of one end of the outer tube becomes an arc-shaped movement trajectory around the rotation axis on the sliding mechanism side of the link, at a position where the one end of the outer tube is locked to the seat cushion side. A vehicle seat in which one end of the inner cable is located closer to the rotation center of the link than one end of the outer tube.

2. The sheet comprises a pair of left and right links spaced apart in the width direction of the sheet, A connecting member is provided at the midpoint of the left and right pair of links in the longitudinal direction, connecting the left and right pair of links in the left-right direction. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein one end of the outer tube is locked to the connecting member.

Images