Vehicle seats

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle seat that can suppress the swaying of the torso of an occupant seated on the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle is in motion. [Solution] The seat cushion is connected to a seat back 17, and the seat back has a pair of recesses 25 formed at the corners between the sides in the seat width direction and the sides 23 in the seat width direction of the surface 22 that supports the back of the occupant PS on the seat back, and a pair of rotating arms 45 whose base ends 50 are each rotatably housed in the pair of recesses, and which are rotatable between a use position where they intersect with the seat back when viewed in the seat width direction and a non-use position where their tips are located above the use position.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses that two armrests arranged side by side in the left - right direction are provided on the seat back of a rear seat for a vehicle. [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid - Open No. 61 - 138731 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In the above Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the body of a passenger sitting on the rear seat during the running of the vehicle may sway greatly in the vehicle width direction.

[0005] In consideration of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle seat capable of suppressing the swaying of the body of a passenger sitting on the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction during the running of the vehicle. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0006] The vehicle seat according to the first aspect includes a seat cushion, a seat back connected to the seat cushion, a pair of concave portions formed at corners between both side portions in the seat width direction and both side surfaces in the seat width direction of the surface of the seat back that supports the back of the passenger, and a pair of rotating arms. The base ends of the pair of rotating arms are respectively rotatably housed in the pair of concave portions, and are rotatable between a use position where they intersect the seat back when viewed in the seat width direction and a non - use position where the tip ends are located above the use position.

[0007] In the first embodiment of the vehicle seat, a pair of recesses are formed at the corners between the sides in the seat width direction and the sides of the seat width direction of the surface supporting the occupant's back on the seat back. Furthermore, the base ends of a pair of rotating arms are rotatably housed in the pair of recesses. Each rotating arm rotates between a working position where it intersects the seat back when viewed in the seat width direction, and a non-working position where its tip is located above the working position. The base ends of the pair of rotating arms are located inward from the sides of the seat back in the seat width direction. In other words, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of rotating arms when they are in the working position is shorter than when the base ends of the pair of rotating arms face the sides of the seat back in the seat width direction. Therefore, when the occupant is seated on the seat cushion and the pair of rotating arms are in the working position, there is a high possibility that the occupant's torso will be squeezed from both sides by the inner parts of each rotating arm. Thus, the vehicle seat according to the first embodiment can suppress the swaying of the occupant's torso in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle is in motion.

[0008] In the second embodiment, the vehicle seat is such that, in the vehicle seat of the first embodiment, the base end of the rotating arm is rotatably supported on the seat back via a rotating shaft extending in the seat width direction, and the rotating shaft is located in a region 150 to 250 mm away from the lower end of the seat back in the height direction of the seat back.

[0009] In the vehicle seat according to the second embodiment, the base end of the rotating arm is rotatably supported on the seat back via a rotation axis extending in the seat width direction. Furthermore, the rotation axis is located in a region 150 to 250 mm away from the lower end of the seat back in the height direction of the seat back. Therefore, in the vehicle seat according to the second embodiment, when the occupant is seated on the seat cushion and the pair of rotating arms are in the operating position, there is a high possibility that the inner parts of each rotating arm will clamp the occupant's torso from both sides.

[0010] The vehicle seat according to the third embodiment is a vehicle seat according to the first or second embodiment, wherein, when viewed along the rotation direction of the rotating arm while the occupant is not seated on the seat cushion, an inverse portion is formed on the inner side of the rotating arm that is recessed toward the outer side.

[0011] In the vehicle seat according to the third embodiment, when viewed along the rotation direction of the rotating arm with the occupant not seated on the seat cushion, an inverse portion is formed on the inner side of the rotating arm that is recessed toward the outer side. Therefore, in the vehicle seat according to the third embodiment, when the pair of rotating arms are in the operating position with the occupant seated on the seat cushion, a wide area on the inner side of the rotating arm is more likely to come into contact with both sides of the occupant's torso. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the third embodiment is more effective in suppressing the swaying of the occupant's torso in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle is in motion.

[0012] The vehicle seat according to claim 4, in the vehicle seat of the third embodiment, comprises a rotating arm comprising a metal frame, a pad material located on the outer circumference of the frame, and a surface material constituting the outer shape of the rotating arm, wherein when the rotating arm is in the non-use position, a part of the inner portion of the surface material constitutes the inverse portion.

[0013] When the inner part of the rotating arm of the vehicle seat described in claim 4 comes into contact with the torso, the inner part of the rotating arm is easily deformed to conform to the shape of the torso. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the fourth embodiment can suppress the swaying of the torsos of various occupants with different body types who are seated on the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle is in motion.

[0014] The vehicle seat according to claim 5 is a vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a temporary holding member is provided on the seat back and the rotating arm to temporarily hold the rotational position of the rotating arm to the unused position when the rotating arm is in the unused position.

[0015] The vehicle seat according to claim 5 allows the rotational position of the rotating arm to be temporarily held in the unused position by using a temporary holding member when the rotating arm is in an unused position.

[0016] The vehicle seat according to claim 6 is the vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the temporary holding member is a hook-and-loop fastener provided on the surface of the recess and the surface of the rotating arm, respectively, and connectable to each other.

[0017] The temporary holding member for the vehicle seat described in claim 6 is a hook-and-loop fastener. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the sixth embodiment can realize the temporary holding member with a simple configuration.

[0018] The vehicle seat according to claim 7 is the vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the temporary holding member comprises a magnet provided on one of the surfaces of the recess and the rotating arm, and a magnetic material provided on the other of the surfaces of the recess and the rotating arm and capable of adsorbing to the magnet.

[0019] The temporary holding member for the vehicle seat described in claim 7 is a magnet and a magnetic material. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the seventh embodiment can realize the temporary holding member with a simple configuration.

[0020] The vehicle seat according to claim 8 is a vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the tip of each of the pair of rotating arms is provided with a tip projection that protrudes toward the other rotating arm.

[0021] The tip of each of the pair of rotating arms of the vehicle seat described in claim 8 is provided with a tip projection that protrudes toward the other rotating arm. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the eighth embodiment can prevent the occupant's body from unexpectedly moving away from the seat back by going over the tips of the pair of rotating arms while the vehicle is in motion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] As described above, the vehicle seat according to the present invention can suppress the swaying of the body of an occupant sitting on the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction during the running of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view seen from the front of the vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view when the rotating arm of the vehicle seat is in the use position. [Figure 3] It is an exploded perspective view of the seat back and the rotating arm of the vehicle seat. [Figure 4] It is an enlarged view of the concave portion of the seat back and the arm frame of the rotating arm when the rotating arm is in the use position. [[ID=I18]] [Figure 5] It is an enlarged view of the concave portion of the seat back and the arm frame when the rotating arm is in the storage position. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view of the seat back and the rotating arm when the rotating arm is in the use position.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Hereinafter, the vehicle seat 15 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The arrow FR appropriately shown in each figure indicates the front direction in the vehicle front-rear direction (seat front-rear direction), the arrow UP indicates the upward direction in the vehicle up-down direction (seat up-down direction), and the arrow LH indicates the left side in the vehicle left-right direction (seat left-right direction). Hereinafter, when simply using the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions for description, the front and rear in the seat front-rear direction, the left and right in the seat left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and the up and down in the seat up-down direction are indicated.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, a vehicle seat 15 is provided on the floor 10 of the vehicle's passenger compartment (not shown). The vehicle seat 15 has a seat cushion 16 fixed to the upper rail of a slide rail (not shown) provided on the floor 10, a seat back 17 whose lower end is rotatably connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 16 via a reclining mechanism (not shown), and a headrest 70 provided on the upper end of the seat back 17.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the symmetrical seat back 17 comprises a seat back frame 18 made of metal pipe material, a flexible cushioning material 19 provided around the seat back frame 18, a flexible surface material 20 that constitutes the outer shape of the seat back 17, hook-and-loop fasteners (temporary holding members) 32, and a bracket 35. As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the back support surface 22 of the seat back 17 has a concave curved surface when viewed along the height direction of the seat back 17. That is, the left and right sides of the back support surface 22 of the seat back 17 are located in front of the center.

[0027] In this specification, the height direction of the seat back 17 refers to the direction along the straight line connecting the bottom surface 17B (lower end of the seat back 17), which is the end surface (lower end) of the seat back 17 on the seat cushion 16 side, and the end surface 17C of the seat back 17 on the headrest 70 side, as shown in Figure 1. Therefore, the height direction of the seat back 17 changes each time the reclining angle of the seat back 17 relative to the seat cushion 16 changes.

[0028] Recesses 25 are formed on both the left and right sides of the seatback 17, extending from the middle to the top in the height direction. The left and right recesses 25 are symmetrical to each other. The left and right recesses 25 are formed in the seatback 17 so as to span both sides 22S of the back support surface 22 of the seatback 17 and the left and right sides 23 of the seatback 17. In other words, the left and right recesses 25 are formed at the corners between both sides of the back support surface 22 of the seatback 17 and the left and right sides 23. Each recess 25 has a lower part 26, a middle part 27, and an upper part 28. The side shape of the lower part 26 is approximately semicircular. The side shape of the middle part 27 is approximately rectangular, and the lower end of the middle part 27 is connected to the lower part 26. The front shape of the upper part 28 is a rectangle in which the left-right dimension is longer than the vertical dimension. The inner end of the upper part 28 is located inside the middle part 27.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, hook-and-loop fasteners 32 are fixed to the bottom surface (front) of the upper part 28 of the left and right recesses 25. The front shape of each hook-and-loop fastener 32 is a roughly rectangular shape, with the left-to-right direction being longer than the up-to-down direction.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the seat back 17 is equipped with a pair of left and right metal brackets 35. The left and right brackets 35 are symmetrical to each other. The base ends of the brackets 35 pass through the inner surface of the lower part 26 and are located inside the seat back 17, where they are fixed to the seat back frame 18. The front part 36 and rear part 37 of each bracket 35 are both flat plates perpendicular to the left-right direction, with the front part 36 located inward from the rear part 37. The end of a metal guide pin 40 is fixed to the outer surface of the front part 36 of the bracket 35. The guide pin 40 is cylindrical in shape parallel to the left-right direction. Furthermore, a through hole 36A (see Figure 3) is formed in the front part 36, and a weld nut 38 concentric with the through hole 36A is fixed to the inner surface of the front part 36 (see Figure 3).

[0031] In this embodiment, the height distance from the bottom surface 17B of the seat back 17 (see Figures 1 and 2) to the weld nut 38 is any size within the range of 150 to 250 mm.

[0032] A pair of rotating arms 45 are provided on each of the left and right sides of the seat back 17. Each rotating arm 45 comprises an arm frame (frame) 47, a pad material 55, a surface material 56, and a hook-and-loop fastener (temporary holding member) 65.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the metal arm frame 47 is roughly L-shaped. The arm frame 47 has a rotating center 48, a straight section 49 extending linearly from the rotating center 48, and a tip section 49A connected to the tip of the straight section 49 and substantially perpendicular to the straight section 49. As shown in Figure 4, the rotating center 48 has a flat base 48A and an outer peripheral flange 48B provided on the outer circumference of the base 48A. The base 48A has a through hole 48C (see Figure 3) and an arc-shaped arc hole 48D centered on the through hole 48C.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, a flexible pad material 55 is provided around the arm frame 47, and a flexible surface material 56 that constitutes the outer shape of the arm frame 47 covers the pad material 55. The outer shape of the rotating arm 45 is substantially the same as the shape of the corresponding recess 25. That is, the rotating arm 45 has a base end portion 50 with a shape corresponding to the lower part 26, a straight section 51 with a shape corresponding to the intermediate part 27, and a tip projection 52 with a shape corresponding to the upper part 28. The rotation center 48 of the arm frame 47 is located within the base end portion 50, the straight section 49 is located within the straight section 51, and the tip portion 49A is located within the tip projection 52. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, a recessed inverse portion 57 is formed on the base end portion 50 side of the inner part of the straight section 51. When the occupant PS is not seated in the vehicle seat 15 (when no external force is applied to the inner part of the straight section 51), the cross-sectional shape of the inverse portion 57 is substantially arc-shaped.

[0035] Slits (not shown) are formed in the end faces of the base ends 50 of the left and right rotating arms 45, and each bracket 35 is inserted into the base end 50 of the corresponding rotating arm 45 through the slits. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, washers 60 are attached to the stepped bolt (rotating shaft) 62. The shaft portion of the stepped bolt 62 has a cylindrical portion at the head end and a male threaded portion at the tip end. The washer 60 is attached to the cylindrical portion. The stepped bolt 62 passes through the through hole 48C of the arm frame 47 and the through hole 36A of the front portion 36 from the outside to the inside, and the male threaded portion of the stepped bolt 62 is screwed into the weld nut 38. The axis of the stepped bolt 62 is parallel to the left-right direction. Furthermore, a guide pin 40 passes through the arc hole 48D outwards. Therefore, each rotating arm 45 can rotate around the stepped bolt 62 relative to the seat back 17. Specifically, each rotating arm 45 is rotatable between a stowed position (non-use position) shown in Figures 1 and 5, and an operating position shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6. When the rotating arm 45 is in the operating position as shown in Figure 4, the guide pin 40 contacts one end face of the arc-shaped hole 48D, and when the rotating arm 45 is in the stowed position as shown in Figure 5, the guide pin 40 contacts the other end face of the arc-shaped hole 48D. As shown in Figure 2, when the rotating arm 45 is in the operating position, the rotating arm 45 intersects the seat back 17 in a side view. This "intersection" includes the case where the straight portion 49 of the arm frame 47 is completely perpendicular to the height direction of the seat back 17 in a side view, and where the straight portion 49 is approximately perpendicular. Furthermore, "intersection" also includes the case where the straight portion 49 is positioned by a predetermined angle above or below the position where it is completely perpendicular to the height direction of the seat back 17 in a side view. This predetermined angle is, for example, 30 degrees. As shown in Figure 1, when the rotating arm 45 is in the stowed position, the outer surface of the rotating arm 45 is substantially flush with the outer surface of the seat back 17.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, hook-and-loop fasteners 65 are fixed to the surface of the tip projection 52 of each rotating arm 45 that faces the recess 25. The front shape of each hook-and-loop fastener 65 is a roughly rectangular shape, with the left-to-right direction being longer than the up-to-down direction. Therefore, when the rotating arm 45 is in the stowed position, the hook-and-loop fasteners 65 provided on the rotating arm 45 connect with the hook-and-loop fasteners 32 provided on the upper part 28 of the recess 25, and the rotating arm 45 is temporarily held in the stowed position by the hook-and-loop fasteners 32 and nuts 62.

[0037] (Mechanism of Action and Effects) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0038] Figures 2 and 6 are plan views showing the left and right rotating arms 45 in their operational positions with the occupant PS seated on the seat cushion 16. At this time, the inner portions of the linear sections 51 of the left and right rotating arms 45 contact both sides of the occupant PS's torso PS1. That is, the left and right rotating arms 45 grip the occupant PS's torso PS1 from both sides. More specifically, the inverse portions 57 of the rotating arms 45 contact both sides of the torso PS1. Each rotating arm 45 is provided in recesses 25 formed at the left and right corners of the seat back 17. That is, the rotating arms 45 are located inside the side surfaces 23 of the seat back 17. Therefore, the distance between the opposing surfaces of the left and right linear sections 51 when the pair of rotating arms 45 are in their operational positions is shorter than when the rotation centers 48 of the pair of rotating arms 45 face the side surfaces 23 in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the occupant PS is seated on the seat cushion 16 and the pair of rotating arms 45 are in use, there is a high probability that the torso PS1 will be squeezed from both the left and right sides by the linear portions 51 of each rotating arm 45. For this reason, the vehicle seat 15 of this embodiment can suppress the swaying of the torso PS1 of the occupant PS seated on the vehicle seat 15 in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle is in motion.

[0039] Furthermore, the height distance from the bottom surface 17B of the seat back 17 to the stepped bolt 62 (weld nut 38) is set to any distance within the range of 150 to 250 mm. Therefore, when the occupant PS is seated on the seat cushion 16 and the pair of rotating arms 45 are in use, there is a high probability that the inner part of the straight section 51 of each rotating arm 45 will grip both sides of the part of the torso PS1 that corresponds to the ribs. As a result, the burden on the occupant PS's lower back is reduced. Therefore, even if the occupant PS sits on the vehicle seat 15 for a long time, the occupant PS is less likely to feel strain on their lower back.

[0040] Furthermore, both the rotating arm 45 and the surface material 56 are made of flexible pad material 55 and surface material 56. Therefore, when the inner part of the straight portion 51 of the rotating arm 45 comes into contact with the body PS1, the inner part of the straight portion 51 easily deforms along the shape of the body PS1. As a result, even when various occupants with different body sizes are seated in the vehicle seat 15, the rotating arm 45 of the vehicle seat 15 can suppress the occupant's torso from swaying in the vehicle width direction.

[0041] Furthermore, if the torso of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 15 is larger than the torso PS1 shown in Figure 6, this torso will cause the pad material 55 and surface material 56 of the straight portion 51 of the left and right rotating arms 45 to deform (become indented) more than when the occupant PS is seated in the vehicle seat 15. In this case, the left and right rotating arms 45 will grip the occupant's torso from both sides with greater force.

[0042] Furthermore, since an inverse portion 57 is formed on the linear portion 51 of each rotating arm 45, a wide area on the inner side of the linear portion 51 of the rotating arm 45 in the position of use can easily come into contact with both the left and right sides of the body PS1. Therefore, the vehicle seat 15 is more effective at suppressing the swaying of the occupant's body PS1 in the vehicle width direction compared to a case where the entire inner surface of the linear portion 51 is composed of a flat surface.

[0043] Furthermore, since the seat back 17 has hook-and-loop fasteners 32 and each rotating arm 45 has hook-and-loop fasteners 65 that can be connected to the hook-and-loop fasteners 32, the rotating arm 45 can be temporarily held in the stowed position by the hook-and-loop fasteners 32 and 65 when it is in the stowed position. Therefore, there is little risk of the rotating arm 45 in the stowed position unexpectedly rotating towards the operating position due to vehicle vibrations.

[0044] Furthermore, since the temporary holding members for temporarily holding the rotating arm 45 in the storage position are hook-and-loop fasteners 32 and 65, the temporary holding members are realized with a simple configuration.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, when the rotating arm 45 is in the operating position, each end projection 52 is positioned directly in front of the body PS1. Therefore, the movement of the body PS1 forward of each end projection 52 due to vehicle vibration is restricted by the left and right end projections 52.

[0046] Furthermore, since the rotating arm 45 is provided with a tip projection 52, the crew member PS can easily visually recognize the position of the tip of the rotating arm 45 when the rotating arm 45 is in the operating position.

[0047] Furthermore, when the rotating arm 45 is in the stowed position, the tip projection 52, which is substantially perpendicular to the linear portion 51 in a front view, fits into the upper part 28 of the recess 25 of the seat back 17. Therefore, even if the bonding force between the hook-and-loop fastener 32 and the hook-and-loop fastener 65 decreases due to the effects of aging, the tip projection 52 and the upper part 28 prevent the rotating arm 45 from unexpectedly rotating toward the usage position due to vehicle vibrations.

[0048] Furthermore, since the crew member (PS) can rotate the rotating arm 45 while grasping the tip projection 52 with their hand, it is easy to rotate the rotating arm 45 between the stowed position and the operational position.

[0049] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0050] For example, the overall length of the rotating arm 45 may be changed. For example, the overall length of the linear section 51 may be shorter than shown in the illustration. In this way, when the rotating arm 45 is in the operating position, the distance between each end projection 52 and the front of the body PS1 will be shortened. As a result, the movement of the body PS1 forward of each end projection 52 due to vehicle vibration will be more easily restricted by the left and right end projections 52.

[0051] Instead of the hook-and-loop fasteners 32 and 65, a magnet may be fixed to one of the recess 25 and the rotating arm 45, and a magnetic material that can be attracted to this magnet may be fixed to the other. This magnetic material may include metals and magnets.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the present invention was described in the case where it is applied to a vehicle seat, but the present invention is also applicable to seats for vehicles other than vehicles (for example, aircraft and ships).

[0053] Furthermore, regardless of which vehicle the seat is applied to, the back support surface 22 of the seat back 17 may face in a direction other than forward. For example, the back support surface 22 of the seat back 17 may face backward, or in either the left or right direction. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 15 Vehicle seats 16 Seat Cushions 17 Seatback 17B Bottom (lower edge of the seat back) 25 recesses 32. Hook and loop fasteners (temporary holding components) 45 Rotating Arm 47 Arm frame (frame) 50 Proximal end 52 Tip protrusion 55 pad material 56 Skin material 57 Inverse Section 62-step bolt (rotating shaft) 65. Hook and loop fasteners (temporary holding components) PS Crew

Claims

1. Seat cushion and, A seat back connected to the aforementioned seat cushion, A pair of recesses formed at the corners between the sides in the seat width direction and the sides in the seat width direction of the surface that supports the occupant's back in the seat back, A pair of rotating arms, each having a base end rotatably housed in a recess, are provided with a rotational arm that can rotate between a usage position where it intersects the seat back when viewed in the seat width direction and a non-usage position where its tip is located above the usage position. A vehicle seat equipped with the following features.

2. The base end of the rotating arm is rotatably supported on the seat back via a rotation axis extending in the seat width direction. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis is provided in a region 150 to 250 mm away from the lower end of the seat back in the height direction of the seat back.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, when viewed along the rotational direction of the rotating arm while the occupant is not seated on the seat cushion, an inverse portion is formed on the inner side of the rotating arm that is recessed toward the outer side.

4. The aforementioned rotating arm A metal frame, A pad material located on the outer periphery of the frame, The outer material that constitutes the outer shape of the rotating arm, Equipped with, The vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein when the rotating arm is in the non-use position, a part of the inner portion of the surface material constitutes the inverse portion.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a temporary holding member is provided on the seat back and the rotating arm to temporarily hold the rotational position of the rotating arm in the unused position when the rotating arm is in the unused position.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the temporary holding member is a hook-and-loop fastener provided on the surface of the recess and the surface of the rotating arm, respectively, and capable of being connected to each other.

7. The temporary holding member, A magnet provided on the surface of the recess and the surface of the rotating arm, A magnetic material provided on the surface of the recess and the other surface of the rotating arm, and capable of attracting the magnet, A vehicle seat according to claim 5, comprising:

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the tip of each of the pair of rotating arms is provided with a tip projection that protrudes toward the other rotating arm.

Images