Reclining devices and vehicle seats

Abstract

This mechanism suppresses the unlocking of the seatback's tilt during a side collision with the vehicle. [Solution] In the reclining device 16, the tilting of the seat back 14 is locked by a locking mechanism 18. A knob 28 is connected to a connecting cylinder 22, and when the knob 28 is operated, the connecting cylinder 22 rotates, and the locking mechanism 18 unlocks the tilting of the seat back 14. However, in the event of a side collision with the vehicle, an impact load is applied to the knob 28, causing the knob 28 to disconnect from the connecting cylinder 22. Therefore, even if the knob 28 is operated by an impact load, the rotation of the connecting cylinder 22 can be suppressed, and the unlocking of the tilting of the seat back 14 can be suppressed.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a reclining device in which a lock mechanism locks the tilting of a seat back, and a vehicle seat provided with the reclining device.

Background Art

[0002] In the seat described in Patent Document 1 below, the tilting of the seat back is locked, and when the reclining lever is operated, the tilting of the seat back is unlocked.

[0003] Here, in this seat, at the time of a side collision of the vehicle, the operation of the reclining lever due to an impact load being input to the reclining lever is suppressed by a lever displacement prevention bracket, and the unlocking of the tilting of the seat back is suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a reclining device and a vehicle seat that can suppress the unlocking of the tilting of the seat back at the time of a side collision of the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A reclining device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a locking mechanism for locking the tilting of a seat back in a vehicle seat, a connecting member connected to the locking mechanism and rotated to release the locking mechanism from the tilting of the seat back, and an operating member connected to the connecting member and operated to rotate the connecting member, and which is released from the connecting member when an impact load is applied during a side collision of a vehicle.

[0007] In a reclining device according to a first aspect of the present invention, a locking mechanism locks the tilting of the seat back of a vehicle seat. A connecting member is connected to the locking mechanism, and an operating member is connected to the connecting member. When the operating member is operated, the connecting member is rotated, and the locking mechanism unlocks the tilting of the seat back.

[0008] In this scenario, during a side collision with the vehicle, an impact load is applied to the operating member, causing it to disconnect from the connecting member. Therefore, even if the operating member is operated by the impact load, the rotation of the connecting member can be suppressed, thereby preventing the seatback from being unlocked.

[0009] A second embodiment of the present invention is a reclining device in which the connecting member is arranged on the inner side of the outer circumference of the operating member, in the reclining device of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] In a reclining device according to a second aspect of the present invention, a connecting member is arranged on the inner side of the outer circumference of the operating member. Therefore, an impact load can be applied to the operating member in advance by the connecting member.

[0011] A third aspect of the present invention is a reclining device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, further comprising a locking portion for preventing the detachment of the operating member.

[0012] In a reclining device according to a third aspect of the present invention, a locking portion prevents the operating member from detaching. Therefore, even if the operating member is disconnected from the connecting member, the detachment of the operating member can be restricted.

[0013] A fourth aspect of the present invention is a reclining device in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the operating member is reconnected to the connecting member by a biasing force after the operating member has been disconnected from the connecting member.

[0014] In the reclining device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the operating member is disconnected from the connecting member, and then reconnected to the connecting member by a biasing force. Therefore, the tilt of the seat back can be unlocked by operating the operating member.

[0015] A fifth aspect of the present invention is a reclining device in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the operating member is released from the connecting member and the connecting member is operated to make it rotatable.

[0016] In the fifth aspect of the present invention, the reclining device is made rotatable by operating the connecting member after the operating member has been released from the connecting member. Therefore, the tilt of the seat back can be unlocked by operating the connecting member.

[0017] A vehicle seat according to the sixth aspect of the present invention comprises a seat cushion, a seat back, and a reclining device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, provided between the seat cushion and the seat back.

[0018] In the sixth aspect of the present invention, a reclining device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention is provided between the seat cushion and the seat back. Therefore, the same effects as any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention can be achieved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] The reclining device and vehicle seat of the present invention can suppress the unlocking of the seatback's tilting mechanism during a side collision with a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] It is an exploded perspective view seen from the front left obliquely showing a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a side view seen from the left showing a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] (A) is a perspective view seen from the front right obliquely showing a main part of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a perspective view seen from the front left obliquely showing a connecting cylinder of the vehicle seat. [Figure 4] (A) and (B) are views showing a main part of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a cross-sectional view seen from the front side (a cross-sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 2), and (B) is a cross-sectional view seen from the upper side (a cross-sectional view taken along line 4B-4B in FIG. 2). [Figure 5] (A) to (C) are schematic cross-sectional views seen from the front side showing a main part of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A) shows the normal state, (B) shows the time of a side collision of the vehicle, and (C) shows the state after the side collision of the vehicle. [Figure 6] (A) to (C) are perspective views seen from the left showing a connecting cylinder and a knob of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A) shows the time of a side collision of the vehicle, (B) shows the first stage after the side collision of the vehicle, and (C) shows the second stage after the side collision of the vehicle. [Figure 7] (A) is a front view seen from the left showing a connecting cylinder and a knob of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a top view seen from the upper side showing the time of a side collision of the vehicle in the connecting cylinder and the knob. [Figure 8] It is an exploded perspective view seen from the front left obliquely showing a vehicle seat according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] (A) is a side view seen from the left showing a vehicle seat according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a front view seen from the left showing a connecting cylinder and a knob of the vehicle seat. [Figure 10](A) is a perspective view taken from the front right, showing the main part of a vehicle seat according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a perspective view taken from the left, showing the connecting cylinder of the vehicle seat. [Figure 11] (A) and (B) are diagrams showing the main parts of a vehicle seat according to the second embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a cross-sectional view seen from the front (cross-sectional view along line 11A-11A in Figure 9(A)), and (B) is a cross-sectional view seen from above (cross-sectional view along line 11B-11B in Figure 9(A)). [Figure 12] (A) and (B) are perspective views taken from the left front to show the main part of a vehicle seat according to the second embodiment of the present invention, where (A) shows the scene after a side collision of the vehicle, and (B) shows the scene when the cap is rotated after a side collision of the vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0021] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a vehicle seat 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the left front. In the drawing, the front of the vehicle seat 10 is indicated by arrow FR, the left side (outside in the vehicle width direction) of the vehicle seat 10 is indicated by arrow LH, and the top of the vehicle seat 10 is indicated by arrow UP.

[0022] The vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment is installed on the front and left side of the passenger compartment of a vehicle (automobile), and the B-pillar of the vehicle is located near the left side of the rear end of the vehicle seat 10. A seat cushion 12 is provided at the bottom of the vehicle seat 10, and the occupant of the vehicle sits on the seat cushion 12. A seat back 14 is provided above the rear end of the seat cushion 12, and the seat back 14 supports the back of the occupant.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, a reclining device 16 is provided between the cushion hinge 12A of the seat cushion 12 and the back hinge 14A of the seat back 14.

[0024] The reclining device 16 is provided with a locking mechanism 18, which locks the tilting of the seat back 14 (back hinge 14A). The locking mechanism 18 is provided with a metal, substantially cylindrical shaft 20 as a release part, and the shaft 20 extends to the left, with its tip (left end) being substantially rectangular.

[0025] A connecting cylinder 22 (see Figure 3(B)), made of resin and shaped like a roughly bottomed rectangular tube, is positioned at the tip of the shaft 20 as a connecting member. The inside of the connecting cylinder 22 is open to the right, and the tip of the shaft 20 is fitted into the connecting cylinder 22, allowing it to rotate integrally with the shaft 20. A screw 24 passes through the bottom wall (left wall) of the connecting cylinder 22, and the screw 24 is screwed into the tip of the shaft 20, fixing the connecting cylinder 22 to the tip of the shaft 20.

[0026] The left end of the connecting cylinder 22 is enlarged in diameter to form a substantially cylindrical shape. Multiple (six in this embodiment) substantially trapezoidal columnar connecting recesses 22A are formed at the left end of the connecting cylinder 22 as connecting parts, and the connecting recesses 22A are spaced apart at the top and bottom of the connecting cylinder 22. The connecting recesses 22A extend in the left-right direction (axial direction of the connecting cylinder 22) and are open to the radially outer and left sides of the connecting cylinder 22. A substantially trapezoidal plate-shaped receiving wall 22B is integrally provided at the right end of the connecting recess 22A as a crushing part, and the receiving wall 22B closes the right side of the connecting recess 22A. In addition, the bottom surface of the connecting recess 22A is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the connecting cylinder 22 to the right of the receiving wall 22B.

[0027] A rectangular plate-shaped receiving plate 22C is integrally provided at the upper and lower ends of the right end of the connecting cylinder 22, and the receiving plate 22C protrudes radially outward from the connecting cylinder 22. A substantially rectangular columnar receiving column 22D is integrally provided on the left side of the receiving plate 22C of the connecting cylinder 22, and the receiving column 22D protrudes radially outward from the connecting cylinder 22 and is integral with the receiving plate 22C.

[0028] A resin cover 26 is provided on the left side of the locking mechanism 18 as an arrangement member. The cover 26 covers the lower end of the seat back 14 from the rear of the seat cushion 12 from the left side. An arrangement recess 26A, which is roughly trapezoidal in front view, is formed at the rear of the cover 26. The arrangement recess 26A is open to the left, top, front, and rear. The shaft 20 of the locking mechanism 18 passes through the bottom wall (right wall) of the arrangement recess 26A, and the tip of the shaft 20 and the connecting cylinder 22 are arranged in the arrangement recess 26A.

[0029] A roughly trapezoidal plate-shaped knob 28 made of resin (see Figure 2) is positioned in the recess 26A as an operating member, with the front part of the knob 28 protruding forward. A cylindrical peripheral wall 28A is integrally provided around the entire circumference of the knob 28, and the peripheral wall 28A protrudes to the right. A roughly trapezoidal coupling recess 28B is formed in the knob 28 when viewed from the front, and the coupling recess 28B is open to the left side, with its front part protruding forward. In addition, rectangular coupling holes 28C, which serve as the coupling parts, are formed through the upper, lower, front, and rear parts of the circumference of the coupling recess 28B.

[0030] A substantially circular connecting hole 28D (see Figure 7(A)) is formed through the center of the bottom wall (right wall) of the connecting recess 28B, and the left end of the connecting cylinder 22 is fitted into the connecting hole 28D. Multiple substantially trapezoidal columnar connecting protrusions 30 (six in this embodiment) are integrally provided on the circumferential surface of the connecting hole 28D, and the connecting protrusions 30 are arranged with a gap between them on the upper and lower sides of the connecting hole 28D. The connecting protrusions 30 extend in the left-right direction (axial direction of the connecting hole 28D), and the circumferential portion of the left side of the connecting protrusion 30 on the connecting hole 28D side is an inclined surface 30A, which is inclined to the right as it approaches the connecting hole 28D side (see Figure 7(B)). The connecting projection 30 is fitted into the connecting recess 22A of the connecting cylinder 22. When the occupant rotates the knob 28 with its front end upward, the connecting cylinder 22 rotates together with the knob 28, causing the shaft 20 of the locking mechanism 18 to rotate together with the connecting cylinder 22, and the locking mechanism 18 to unlock the tilting of the seat back 14. The connecting projection 30 is in contact with the receiving wall 22B of the connecting cylinder 22, thereby restricting the movement of the knob 28 to the right (see the dashed line in Figure 4(A) and Figure 5(A)).

[0031] On the right side of the bottom wall of the connecting recess 28B, a roughly rectangular plate-shaped locking claw 32 (see Figure 4(B)) is integrally provided as a locking part on the front and rear sides of the connecting hole 28D, and the locking claw 32 extends to the right. A triangular prism-shaped locking projection 32A is integrally provided at the tip (right end) of the locking claw 32, and the locking projection 32A protrudes toward the connecting hole 28D, with its left side positioned perpendicular to the left-right direction. Due to temporary elastic deformation, the locking claw 32 locks the locking projection 32A to the left end of the connecting cylinder 22 from the right side, thereby preventing the movement of the locking projection 32A to the left and preventing the movement of the knob 28 to the left.

[0032] The connecting cylinder 22 is inserted into the coil spring 34, which acts as a biasing member, and the support column 22D of the connecting cylinder 22 restricts the radial movement of the coil spring 34. The coil spring 34 is stretched between the support plate 22C of the connecting cylinder 22 and the bottom wall of the connecting recess 28B and is compressed, and the coil spring 34 biases the knob 28 to the left.

[0033] A roughly trapezoidal plate-shaped cap 36 made of resin (see the dashed line in Figure 4(A) and Figure 5(A)) is fitted into the coupling recess 28B as a covering member, with the front of the cap 36 protruding forward. The movement of the periphery of the cap 36 into the coupling recess 28B is locked, and the left surface of the cap 36 is flush with the left surface of the knob 28. Roughly rectangular plate-shaped coupling claws 38 are integrally provided on the upper, lower, front, and rear of the periphery of the cap 36, and the coupling claws 38 extend to the right. A triangular prism-shaped coupling projection 38A is integrally provided at the tip (right end) of the coupling claw 38, and the coupling projection 38A protrudes to the outside of the coupling recess 28B, with its left surface positioned perpendicular to the left-right direction. The connecting claw 38 is inserted into the connecting hole 28C in the bottom wall of the connecting recess 28B by temporary elastic deformation, and the connecting projection 38A is locked from the right side around the connecting hole 28C in the bottom wall of the connecting recess 28B. This locks the movement of the connecting projection 38A to the left, and locks the movement of the cap 36 to the left, thereby connecting the cap 36 to the knob 28 so that it can rotate integrally with it.

[0034] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

[0035] In the reclining device 16 of the vehicle seat 10 with the above configuration, the tilting of the seat back 14 is locked by a locking mechanism 18, and a connecting cylinder 22 is rotatably connected to the shaft 20 of the locking mechanism 18. Furthermore, the connecting projection 30 of the knob 28 is fitted into the connecting recess 22A of the connecting cylinder 22, and the knob 28 is rotatably connected to the connecting cylinder 22. When the front of the knob 28 (including the cap 36) is rotated upward, the connecting cylinder 22 and the shaft 20 rotate together with the knob 28, and the locking mechanism 18 unlocks the tilting of the seat back 14.

[0036] Here, during a side collision of the vehicle, the impact load from the vehicle's B-pillar is input to the knob 28, causing the knob 28 to move to the right (inward in the vehicle width direction). This causes the connecting projection 30 to crush the receiving wall 22B of the connecting cylinder 22, releasing the engagement of the connecting projection 30 with the connecting recess 22A, and thus the knob 28 is released from the connecting cylinder 22 (see the solid line in Figure 4(A), Figures 5(B) and 6(A)). Therefore, even if the knob 28 is rotated by the impact load, the rotation of the connecting cylinder 22 can be suppressed, the unlocking of the tilt of the seat back 14 can be suppressed, and unnecessary tilting of the seat back 14 can be suppressed.

[0037] Furthermore, the left side of the knob 28 is flush with the left side of the cap 36, and the left side of the connecting cylinder 22 is positioned to the right (inward) of the left side (outer circumference) of the knob 28 (see Figure 5(A)). Therefore, in the event of a side collision with a vehicle, the impact load can be applied to the knob 28 before the connecting cylinder 22, allowing the knob 28 to be properly disengaged from the connecting cylinder 22.

[0038] Furthermore, after a side collision with the vehicle (after the knob 28 is disconnected from the connecting cylinder 22), the biasing force of the coil spring 34 causes the knob 28 to move to the left, so that the connecting projection 30 fits into the connecting recess 22A, and the knob 28 is connected to the connecting cylinder 22 (see Figure 5(C), Figure 6(B) and (C)). As a result, the tilting of the seat back 14 can be unlocked by rotating the knob 28, allowing the seat back 14 to tilt, which in turn allows, for example, the occupant to escape from the vehicle.

[0039] Furthermore, after a side collision with the vehicle, when the knob 28 is moved to the left by the biasing force of the coil spring 34, the inclined surface 30A of the connecting projection 30 guides the connecting projection 30 into the connecting recess 22A (see Figure 7(B)). As a result, the connecting projection 30 can be easily fitted into the connecting recess 22A, and the knob 28 can be easily connected to the connecting cylinder 22.

[0040] Furthermore, the locking projection 32A of the locking claw 32 of the knob 28 is locked to the left end of the connecting cylinder 22, thereby preventing the knob 28 from moving to the left and preventing it from detaching from the connecting cylinder 22 (see Figure 4(B)). Therefore, even if the connecting projection 30 is disengaged from the connecting recess 22A during a side collision of the vehicle, and the knob 28 is detached from the connecting cylinder 22, the locking projection 32A of the locking claw 32 is locked to the left end of the connecting cylinder 22, thereby limiting the detachment of the knob 28 from the connecting cylinder 22.

[0041] In this embodiment, the connecting projection 30 is provided with an inclined surface 30A, which guides the connecting projection 30 into the connecting recess 22A after a side collision with a vehicle. However, an inclined surface may be provided on the circumferential surface of the connecting recess 22A, which guides the connecting projection 30 into the connecting recess 22A after a side collision with a vehicle.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tilt of the seat back 14 is unlocked by rotating the knob 28 after a side collision with the vehicle. However, the tilt of the seat back 14 may also be unlocked by detaching the cap 36 from the knob 28 and rotating the connecting cylinder 22 after a side collision with the vehicle.

[0043] [Second Embodiment] Figure 8 shows an exploded perspective view of a vehicle seat 50 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the left front.

[0044] The vehicle seat 50 according to this embodiment has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above, but differs in the following respects.

[0045] As shown in Figure 8, the reclining device 16 of the vehicle seat 50 does not have a receiving plate 22C and a receiving column 22D on the connecting cylinder 22 (see Figure 10(B)), and does not have a coil spring 34.

[0046] The circumferential surface of the connecting hole 28D of the knob 28 does not have a connecting projection 30 (see Figures 9(A) and (B)), and multiple (eight in this embodiment) connecting projections 30 are integrally provided on the right side of the cap 36, which serves as a connecting member (see Figure 11(A)). The multiple connecting projections 30 are fitted and fixed to multiple (eight in this embodiment) connecting recesses 22A of the connecting cylinder 22, and the cap 36 is fixed to the connecting cylinder 22 in a way that prevents it from being detached, and rotates integrally with the connecting cylinder 22. In addition, the left side of the cap 36 is positioned to the right (inside) of the left side (outer circumference) of the knob 28.

[0047] Incidentally, the connecting projection 38A of the connecting claw 38 (connecting part) of the cap 36 is locked around the connecting hole 28C (connected part) of the knob 28, so that the knob 28 is rotatably connected to the cap 36 as a whole. When the front of the knob 28 is rotated upward, the cap 36, connecting cylinder 22 and shaft 20 rotate together with the knob 28, and the locking mechanism 18 unlocks the tilting of the seat back 14.

[0048] Here, in the event of a side collision with the vehicle, the impact load from the vehicle's B-pillar is input to the knob 28, causing the knob 28 to move to the right (inward in the vehicle width direction). This releases the locking of the connecting claw 38 around the connecting hole 28C, and the knob 28 is released from the cap 36 (see the solid line in Figure 11(A) and Figure 12(A)). Therefore, even if the knob 28 is rotated by the impact load, the rotation of the cap 36 can be suppressed, preventing the unlocking of the seat back 14's tilt and suppressing unnecessary tilting of the seat back 14.

[0049] Furthermore, the left side of the cap 36 is positioned to the right of the left side of the knob 28 (see the dashed line on the knob 28 and the solid line on the cap 36 in Figure 11(A)). Therefore, in the event of a side collision with a vehicle, the impact load can be applied to the knob 28 before the cap 36, allowing the knob 28 to be properly disconnected from the cap 36.

[0050] Furthermore, after a side collision with the vehicle (after the knob 28 is released from the cap 36), the cap 36 remains fixed to the connecting cylinder 22. As a result, the cap 36 can be rotated upwards at the front (see Figure 12(B)), unlocking the tilt of the seat back 14 and allowing the seat back 14 to tilt, which in turn allows, for example, the occupant to escape from the vehicle.

[0051] Furthermore, the locking projection 32A of the locking claw 32 of the knob 28 is locked to the left end of the connecting cylinder 22, thereby preventing the knob 28 from moving to the left and preventing it from detaching from the connecting cylinder 22 (see Figures 10(A) and 11(B)). Therefore, even if the locking of the connecting claw 38 around the connecting hole 28C is released during a side collision of the vehicle, and the knob 28 is detached from the cap 36, the locking projection 32A of the locking claw 32 is locked to the left end of the connecting cylinder 22, thereby limiting the detachment of the knob 28 from the connecting cylinder 22. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 10 Vehicle seats 12 seat cushions 14 Seatback 16 Reclining device 18 Locking mechanism 22 Connecting tube (connecting member) 28 Knob (operating component) 32 Locking claw (locking part) 36 Cap (connecting member) 50 Vehicle seats

Claims

1. A locking mechanism for locking the tilt of the seat back in a vehicle seat, A connecting member connected to the locking mechanism and rotated to unlock the tilting of the seat back by the locking mechanism, An operating member is connected to the aforementioned connecting member, and when operated, the connecting member is rotated, and when an impact load is applied during a side collision of a vehicle, the operating member is released from the connecting member. A reclining device equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The reclining device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is arranged on the inner side of the outer circumference of the operating member.

3. The reclining device according to claim 1, further comprising a locking portion for preventing the detachment of the operating member.

4. The reclining device according to claim 1, wherein the operating member is reconnected to the connecting member by a biasing force after the operating member is disconnected from the connecting member.

5. The reclining device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is operated to make it rotatable after the operating member is released from the connecting member.

6. Seat cushion and, The seatback and A reclining device according to claim 1, provided between the seat cushion and the seat back, A vehicle seat equipped with the following features.

Images