Ottoman and vehicle seat

Abstract

To obtain an ottoman that is easy to pull out from its stored position. [Solution] The ottoman 30 comprises an ottoman stay 38 inserted into a bush 40 provided at the front end of the seat cushion 12 of the vehicle seat 10, and an ottoman body 32 attached to the front end of the ottoman stay 38 to support the lower legs of the occupant seated on the seat cushion 12. The ottoman 30 is used by being pulled out from a storage position where it is stored at the front end of the seat cushion 12 toward the front of the seat, and the direction of pull-out P from the storage position is set to be diagonally downward with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to an ottoman.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle seat equipped with an ottoman. This ottoman has a pair of left and right ottoman pillars (ottoman stays) inserted into a pair of left and right supports (bushings) provided at the front end of the seat cushion. This ottoman is pulled out from the storage position stored at the front end of the seat cushion to the front side of the seat and used. The pulling-out direction from the storage position of this ottoman is set obliquely upward with respect to the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction) of the vehicle, and is locked in the storage position and the use position by a locking mechanism provided on the above support.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above prior art, when pulling out the ottoman from the storage position, an operation of releasing the lock of the support and an operation of pulling out the ottoman are required, so there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of facilitating the operation.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to obtain an ottoman that can be easily pulled out from the storage position and a vehicle seat equipped with the ottoman.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The ottoman of the first embodiment comprises an ottoman stay inserted into a bush provided at the front end of the seat cushion of a vehicle seat, and an ottoman body attached to the front end of the ottoman stay to support the lower legs of an occupant seated on the seat cushion. The ottoman is used by being pulled out toward the front of the seat from a storage position where it is stored at the front end of the seat cushion, and the direction of pulling out from the storage position is set to be diagonally downward with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle.

[0007] In the first embodiment of the ottoman, the ottoman stay is inserted into a bushing provided at the front end of the seat cushion of the vehicle seat. The ottoman body, which supports the lower legs of the occupant seated on the seat cushion, is attached to the front end of the ottoman stay. This ottoman is used by pulling it out towards the front of the seat from its storage position, which is stored at the front end of the seat cushion. The direction in which the ottoman is pulled out from the storage position is set to be diagonally downward with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle. This allows friction to be introduced into the movement of the ottoman in the direction of returning to the storage position, so that the frictional force generated between the ottoman stay and the bushing 40, along with the friction described above, prevents unintended movement of the ottoman during use. As a result, a locking mechanism to restrict the movement of the ottoman is not required, and therefore, there is no need to release the lock when pulling out the ottoman from the storage position. In other words, the operation of pulling out the ottoman from the storage position becomes a single action, making the operation of pulling out the ottoman easier.

[0008] The second embodiment of the vehicle seat comprises a seat cushion on which an occupant sits, a seat back that supports the occupant's back, and an ottoman of the first embodiment in which the ottoman stay is inserted into a bush provided at the front end of the seat cushion.

[0009] In the second embodiment of the vehicle seat, the back of the occupant seated on the seat cushion is supported by the seat back. The ottoman stay of the ottoman is inserted into a bushing provided at the front end of the seat cushion. Since this ottoman is of the same type as in the first embodiment, the aforementioned effects are obtained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As described above, the present invention makes it easier to pull out the ottoman from its storage position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a vehicle seat according to an embodiment, with the ottoman in the stowed position. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing a vehicle seat according to an embodiment, with the ottoman in its fully extended position. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing an ottoman according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a side view showing a part of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment, with the ottoman in the stowed position. [Figure 5] This is a side view showing a part of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment, and the figure shows the ottoman in its fully extended position. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, a vehicle seat 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In each figure, some reference numerals may be omitted for the sake of clarity. Also, the arrows FR, LH, and UP indicated as appropriate in each figure indicate the front, left, and top of the vehicle seat 10, respectively. Hereafter, when simply referring to the front, back, left, right, up, and down directions, these directions will be relative to the vehicle seat 10.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment comprises a seat cushion 12 on which the occupant sits, a seat back 14 that supports the occupant's back, a headrest 16 that supports the occupant's head, and an ottoman 30 that supports the occupant's lower legs L. The seat cushion 12 is connected to the floor of the vehicle (not shown). The front-rear, left-right, up-down directions of this vehicle seat 10 coincide with the front-rear, left-right, up-down directions of the vehicle.

[0014] The seat cushion 12 comprises a cushion frame (not shown) which is a skeletal member, a cushion pad 18 which is a cushioning material attached to the cushion frame, and a cushion surface 20 which is a surface material covering the cushion pad 18. A recess 22 that is recessed toward the rear is formed in the left-right center of the front end of the seat cushion 12. An ottoman 30 is placed in this recess 22.

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, the ottoman 30 is composed of an ottoman body 32 and an ottoman stay 38. The ottoman body 32 is composed of an ottoman pad 34, which is a cushioning material, and an ottoman skin 36, which is an outer covering material. The ottoman pad 34 is made of a foam material such as urethane foam, and is formed in a roughly plate-like shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction and the roughly front-back direction as the thickness direction. The ottoman skin 36 is formed in a bag-like shape by sewing together multiple skin pieces made of, for example, cloth, leather, or synthetic leather, and is placed over the ottoman pad 34.

[0016] The Ottman stay 38 is formed, for example, by bending a metal pipe material and has a substantially U-shaped cross-section that opens to the rear when viewed from above or below. The Ottman stay 38 has a pair of left and right arms 38A that extend substantially in the front-rear direction and a connecting portion 38B that connects the front ends of the left and right arms 38A in the left-right direction. The front portions of the left and right arms 38A are bent downward. The Ottman stay 38 is, for example, integrally foam-molded with the Ottman pad 34, and the front portions of the left and right arms 38A and a part of the connecting portion 38B are embedded in the Ottman pad 34.

[0017] The left and right arms 38A of the Ottman stay 38 are inserted (press-fitted here) into a pair of left and right bushes 40 provided at the front end of the seat cushion 12. The left and right bushes 40 are manufactured, for example, by injection molding of resin and are formed in a cylindrical shape with the substantially front-rear direction as the axial direction. The left and right bushes 40 are arranged at the front end of the seat cushion 12 at a distance from each other in the left-right direction and are fixed to a pair of left and right brackets (not shown) provided at the front end of the cushion frame. <##000083>

[0018] Most of the left and right bushes 40 are arranged inside the seat cushion 12, and flange portions 40A exposed outside (front side) of the seat cushion 12 are provided at the front ends of the left and right bushes 40. The flange portions 40A of the left and right bushes 40 are located in the recess 22 of the seat cushion 12. In this embodiment, the left and right bushes 40 are components of the seat cushion 12, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the left and right bushes 40 may be regarded as components of the Ottman 30.

[0019] The left and right arms 38A of the Ottman stay 38 are slidably inserted into the left and right bushes 40. The Ottman 30 is slidable back and forth with respect to the seat cushion 12 by the left and right arms 38A of the Ottman stay 38 sliding with respect to the left and right bushes 40.

[0020] Specifically, the ottoman 30 is slidable between the storage position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 and the fully extended position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. This ottoman 30 can be held at any position between the storage position and the fully extended position by the frictional force generated between the left and right arm portions 38A of the ottoman stay 38 and the left and right bushes 40. Although not shown, at least one of the left and right arm portions 38A is provided with a retaining portion for at least the left and right bushes 40, and is configured to restrict the movement of the ottoman 30 forward of the fully extended position.

[0021] In the state where the ottoman 30 is located at the above storage position, the ottoman main body 32 fits into the recess 22 of the seat cushion 12, and the ottoman main body 32 and the seat cushion 12 exhibit an integrated appearance. In the state where the ottoman 30 is located at the above use position, the ottoman main body 32 is disposed spaced apart in front of the seat cushion 12, and the ottoman main body 32 can support the lower leg portion L of the occupant.

[0022] The above ottoman 30 is normally stored in the storage position and is pulled out from the storage position toward the fully extended position when the occupant uses the ottoman 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the pulling direction P of the ottoman 30 from the storage position is set obliquely downward with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle (here, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle). The inclination angle θ of the pulling direction P with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is set, for example, at 2 degrees. This inclination angle θ is preferably set within the range of 2 degrees to 5 degrees.

[0023] In the vehicle seat 10 having the above configuration, the back of the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is supported by the seat back 14. The left and right arm portions 38A of the ottoman stay 38 of the ottoman 30 are inserted into the left and right bushes 40 provided at the front end portion of the seat cushion 12. An ottoman main body 32 for supporting the lower leg portion L of the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is attached to the front end portion of the ottoman stay 38.

[0024] The ottoman 30 is used by pulling it forward from its storage position, which is located at the front end of the seat cushion 12. The direction P in which the ottoman 30 is pulled out from the storage position is set diagonally downward with respect to the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. This allows friction to be introduced into the movement of the ottoman 30 in the direction of returning to the storage position, and the frictional force generated between the ottoman stay 38 and the left and right bushings 40, along with the aforementioned friction, prevents unintended movement of the ottoman 30 during use. As a result, a locking mechanism to restrict the movement of the ottoman 30 is unnecessary, and therefore, there is no need to release the lock when pulling out the ottoman 30 from the storage position. In other words, the operation of pulling out the ottoman 30 from the storage position becomes a single action, making the operation of pulling out the ottoman 30 easier.

[0025] Furthermore, when returning the pulled-out ottoman 30 to its storage position, there is no need to unlock it; only the ottoman body 32 needs to be pushed toward the storage position, making the storage operation of the ottoman 30 easy. In addition, as described above, since a locking mechanism is not required, it also contributes to reducing the number of parts and mass of the vehicle seat 10.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the present invention was described in the case where it is applied to a vehicle seat 10, but the present invention is also applicable to seats for vehicles other than vehicles (for example, aircraft and ships).

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from its spirit. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0028] 10 Vehicle seats 12 seat cushions 14 Seatback 30 Ottoman 32 Ottoman 38 Ottoman Stay 40 Bush P Pulling direction L lower leg

Claims

1. An ottoman stay inserted into a bushing located at the front end of the seat cushion of a vehicle seat, The ottoman body is attached to the front end of the ottoman stay and supports the lower leg of the occupant seated on the seat cushion, Equipped with, An ottoman which is used by being pulled out toward the front of the seat from a storage position where it is stored at the front end of the seat cushion, and the direction of pulling it out from the storage position is set to be diagonally downward with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle.

2. The seat cushion on which the occupants sit, A seatback that supports the back of the aforementioned occupant, The ottoman according to claim 1, wherein the ottoman stay is inserted into a bush provided at the front end of the seat cushion, A vehicle seat equipped with [a specific feature / feature].

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