Vehicle latch device, vehicle seat, and method for manufacturing vehicle latch device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle latch device, a vehicle seat and a method of manufacturing a vehicle latch device which facilitates fastening work of a support member for inserting a buffer member between the vehicle latch device and a housing.SOLUTION: A vehicle latch device 1 is the device which locks or unlocks by being engaged with or disengaged from a rod-shaped part. The vehicle latch device 1 includes a buffer member 30 capable of abutting to the rod-shaped part, a holding member 40 which holds the buffer member 30, a housing 10 and a support member 50 which is the support member 50 fastened to the housing 10 and supports the buffer member 30 and the holding member 40 between the housing 10 and the support member. The holding member 40 has an engagement part 42 which engages with the housing 10 and the support member 50. The support member 50 is supported by the housing 10 via the holding member 40 in the state before fastened to the housing 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle latch device that locks or unlocks by engaging or disengaging with a rod-shaped portion, a vehicle seat provided with the vehicle latch device, and a method for manufacturing the vehicle latch device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle latch device is known that includes a latch that can engage with a rod-shaped portion of a striker, a housing that houses the latch, a buffer member that can abut the rod-shaped portion of the striker, and a support member that is fastened to the housing with the buffer member sandwiched between the housing and the support member (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-172113 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, before fastening the support member to the housing, the cushioning member must be held by hand between the housing and the support member, which may make the fastening work difficult.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to facilitate the fastening operation of a support member that sandwiches a cushioning member between the support member and a housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle latch device of the present invention is a device that locks or unlocks by engaging or disengaging with a rod-shaped portion. The vehicle latch device includes a buffer member capable of contacting the rod-shaped portion, a retaining member that holds the buffer member, a housing, and a support member that is fastened to the housing and supports the buffer member and the retaining member between the housing and the support member. The holding member has an engagement portion that engages with the housing and the support member. The support member is supported by the housing via the holding member before being fastened to the housing.

[0007] According to this configuration, the engaging portion of the holding member engages with the housing and the support member, so that the support member is supported on the housing via the holding member before it is fastened to the housing, making it easier to perform the fastening work of the support member.

[0008] Moreover, the housing may have a first hole engageable with the engaging portion, and the support member may have a second hole overlapping with the first hole and engageable with the engaging portion.

[0009] According to this configuration, the holding member can be engaged with the housing and the support member using a single engagement portion, thereby simplifying the shape of the holding member compared to a structure in which, for example, one of two engagement portions is engaged with the housing and the other is engaged with the support member.

[0010] In addition, the holding member may have a main body portion that holds the buffer member, the engagement portion may protrude from the main body portion, and the second hole may be positioned between the first hole and the main body portion.

[0011] According to this configuration, the portion of the support member where the second hole is formed can be sandwiched and held between the housing and the main body.

[0012] The engagement portion may be elastically deformable between a first state in which it is larger than the first hole and a second state in which it is smaller than the first hole and the second hole.

[0013] With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the holding member from coming off the housing and the support member.

[0014] Moreover, the vehicle latch device may further include two fastening members for fastening the support member to the housing, and the retaining member may be disposed between the two fastening members.

[0015] According to this configuration, the holding member and the buffer member can be firmly held between the support member and the housing.

[0016] The support member may have a claw portion that engages with the housing.

[0017] According to this configuration, the support member can be temporarily fixed to the housing before engaging the engagement portion of the holding member with the housing and the support member, making it easier to engage the engagement portion with the housing and the support member.

[0018] The support member may have two of the claw portions, and the holding member may be disposed between the two claw portions in a direction along a straight line connecting the two claw portions.

[0019] According to this configuration, the holding member can be stably held by the support member temporarily fixed to the housing.

[0020] Moreover, a vehicle seat according to the present invention can be configured to include the vehicle latch device described above, and a frame to which the vehicle latch device is fixed.

[0021] In addition, the manufacturing method of a vehicle latch device of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a vehicle latch device that includes a buffer member that can abut a rod-shaped portion, a retaining member that holds the buffer member, a housing, and a support member that is fastened to the housing and supports the buffer member and the retaining member between the housing and the support member. The manufacturing method includes a step of attaching the cushioning member to the holding member, a step of supporting the support member on the housing via the holding member by engaging the holding member to which the cushioning member is attached with the housing and the support member, and a step of fastening the support member to the housing.

[0022] According to this manufacturing method, the engaging portion of the holding member is engaged with the housing and the support member, so that the support member is supported on the housing via the holding member, which makes it easier to perform the operation of fastening the support member. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, it is possible to facilitate the fastening operation of the support member that sandwiches the cushioning member between the housing and the support member.

[0024] Furthermore, by configuring the engaging portion to engage with the first hole of the housing and the second hole of the support member, the holding member can be engaged with the housing and the support member with a single engaging portion, so the shape of the holding member can be simplified compared to a structure in which, for example, one of two engaging portions is engaged with the housing and the other is engaged with the support member.

[0025] Furthermore, by configuring the second hole to be positioned between the first hole and the main body, the portion of the support member in which the second hole is formed can be sandwiched and held between the housing and the main body.

[0026] In addition, by configuring the engagement portion to be elastically deformable into a first state larger than the first hole and a second state smaller than the first hole and the second hole, it is possible to prevent the holding member from coming off the housing and the support member.

[0027] Furthermore, by configuring the holding member to be disposed between two fastening members, the holding member and the buffer member can be firmly held between the support member and the housing.

[0028] In addition, since the support member has a claw portion that engages with the housing, the support member can be temporarily secured to the housing before engaging the engagement portion of the holding member with the housing and the support member, making it easier to engage the engagement portion with the housing and the support member.

[0029] Furthermore, by configuring the holding member to be disposed between the two claw portions, the holding member can be stably held by the support member temporarily fixed to the housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a frame of a vehicle seat provided with a vehicle latch device; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle latch device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle latch device; [Figure 4] 1A is a perspective view of a holding member seen from behind, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a cushioning member seen from behind. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle latch device as seen from the front. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 in accordance with II. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are diagrams showing a manufacturing method of a vehicle latch device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle latch device 1 is fixed to, for example, a side frame S1 constituting a seat back of a frame S of a vehicle seat for an automobile or the like. As an example, a bracket S2 made of sheet metal is welded to the side frame S1, and the vehicle latch device 1 is fixed to this bracket S2 by a fastening member 60 such as a bolt (see Fig. 2).

[0032] The vehicle latch device 1 is a device that locks or unlocks the side frame S1 to the vehicle body BD by engaging or disengaging with the rod-shaped portion ST1 of the striker ST fixed to the vehicle body BD. The vehicle latch device 1 is configured by housing mechanical components such as a latch 20 in a housing 10. As shown in FIG. 2, an entrance groove 10A that opens toward the striker ST is formed in the housing 10, and the latch 20 is closed or opened by the hook-shaped portion 21 advancing or retreating into the entrance groove 10A. The vehicle latch device 1 can be locked by the latch 20 engaging with the rod-shaped portion ST1 of the striker ST. In addition, the vehicle latch device 1 can be unlocked by pulling a rod (not shown) to operate the latch 20 from a closed state to an open state.

[0033] The vehicle latch device 1 mainly comprises a housing 10, a latch 20, a buffer member 30, a holding member 40 that holds the buffer member 30, a support member 50 that supports the buffer member 30 and the holding member 40 by sandwiching them between the housing 10, and two fastening members 60 for fastening the support member 50 to the housing 10. In the following description of the configuration of the vehicle latch device 1, for convenience, the up / down, left / right, and front / rear directions shown by arrows in Fig. 2 are used to denote up / down, left / right, and front / rear; however, it goes without saying that the vehicle latch device 1 can be used in any position.

[0034] In the following description, the front-rear direction is the direction along the rotation axis of the latch 20, and the frame S side to which the vehicle latch device 1 is fixed is defined as the "rear side." The up-down direction is perpendicular to the front-rear direction and is the direction in which the rod-shaped portion ST1 enters the entrance groove 10A, and the opening side of the entrance groove 10A is defined as the "lower side." The left-right direction is defined as the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction.

[0035] The housing 10 is made of metal or the like and has a base wall 11, an upper wall 12 extending forward from an upper end of the base wall 11, and a front wall 13 extending upward from the front end of the upper wall 12. As shown in Fig. 3, the base wall 11 has an entrance groove 10A, two mounting holes HA through which the fastening member 60 passes, and two engagement holes HB that engage with claw portions 54 of the support member 50, which will be described later.

[0036] The entrance groove 10A is formed at the lower end of the base wall 11. The entrance groove 10A is disposed between the two mounting holes HA in the left-right direction. The entrance groove 10A is disposed between the two engagement holes HB in the left-right direction.

[0037] The mounting holes HA are circular holes. A cylindrical tubular member (not shown) is provided in the mounting holes HA. The tubular member provided in the left mounting hole HA rotatably supports the latch 20. The fastening member 60 passes through the tubular member and is fastened to the bracket S2.

[0038] The engagement holes HB are elongated holes extending in the left-right direction. The right engagement hole HB has a larger vertical dimension than the left engagement hole HB.

[0039] The upper wall 12 has a first hole H1 that can be engaged with an engaging portion 42 (described later) of the holding member 40. The first hole H1 is located within the range of the entrance groove 10A in the left-right direction.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the front wall 13 is located in front of the fastening member 60 .

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, the buffer member 30 is a member made of an elastic body such as rubber, and has a base portion 31 and a protrusion 32. The base portion 31 has a generally trapezoidal shape with a width (length in the left-right direction) at the top end smaller than the width at the bottom end. An abutment surface 31A that can abut against the rod-shaped portion ST1 is formed at the bottom end of the base portion 31 (see FIG. 5). When the vehicle latch device 1 is in the locked state, the abutment surface 31A sandwiches the rod-shaped portion ST1 between itself and the latch 20. The abutment surface 31A is a curved surface that is concave upward. The radius of curvature of the abutment surface 31A is larger than the radius of the rod-shaped portion ST1. The left and right side surfaces 31B of the base portion 31 are curved surfaces that are concave toward the left and right centers of the base portion 31.

[0042] The protrusion 32 protrudes from the upper surface of the base portion 31 and also protrudes from the rear surface of the base portion 31 (see FIG. 4(b)). That is, the protrusion 32 extends in an L-shape from the upper surface to the rear surface of the base portion 31.

[0043] The holding member 40 is made of resin or the like and has a main body portion 41 that holds the buffer member 30, and an engagement portion 42 that protrudes from the upper surface of the main body portion 41. The main body portion 41 has a first portion 41A that contacts the rear surface of the base portion 31, a second portion 41B that contacts the upper surface of the base portion 31, and an engagement groove 41C.

[0044] The left and right side surfaces of the first portion 41A are formed in an arc shape following the left and right side surfaces 31B of the base portion 31. The lower end of the first portion 41A has both ends P1 in the left and right direction protruding below the center P2 in the left and right direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the center P2 of the first portion 41A is located below the bottom of the entrance groove 10A. As shown in FIG. 5, the contact surface 31A of the buffer member 30 is located below the center P2 of the first portion 41A. Both ends P1 of the first portion 41A are located below the contact surface 31A and are located outside the entrance groove 10A in the left and right direction. This allows the portion of the buffer member 30 located below the center P2 to be elastically deformed up and down, and allows the buffer member 30 to be held up to the lower end by both ends P1 of the first portion 41A.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 4(a), a hook 43 is provided on the rear surface of the first portion 41A. The hook 43 is disposed on the rear surface of the center portion P2 at the lower end of the first portion 41A, and protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the first portion 41A and then protrudes upward. The hook 43 engages with the bottom of the entrance groove 10A of the housing 10 (see Figs. 3 and 6).

[0046] 3, the second portion 41B protrudes forward from an upper end portion of the first portion 41A. The engagement groove 41C is an L-shaped groove that engages with the protrusion 32 of the buffer member 30. The engagement groove 41C is formed from the first portion 41A to the second portion 41B.

[0047] The engaging portion 42 is a protrusion that engages with a first hole H1 of the housing 10 and a second hole H2 (described later) of the support member 50. As shown in Fig. 4(a), the engaging portion 42 has a base portion 42A protruding from the upper surface of the main body portion 41, a protruding portion 42B protruding from the upper surface of the base portion 42A, a first extending portion 42C extending diagonally downward to the right from the upper end of the protruding portion 42B, and a second extending portion 42D extending diagonally downward to the left from the upper end of the protruding portion 42B.

[0048] The first extending portion 42C and the second extending portion 42D are elastically deformable in the left-right direction, so that the engaging portion 42 is elastically deformable between a first state in which the left-right dimension is larger than the first hole H1 and a second state in which the left-right dimension is smaller than the first hole H1 and the second hole H2.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, the support member 50 is made of metal or the like, and has a U-shaped support portion 51 in cross section that supports the buffer member 30 and the holding member 40, an upper wall portion 52 provided at the upper end of the support portion 51, two mounting portions 53 provided on both the left and right sides of the support portion 51, and claw portions 54 provided at the lower end of each mounting portion 53.

[0050] The support portion 51 has a front wall 51A and two side walls 51B extending rearward from both left and right ends of the front wall 51A. The left and right side walls 51B have shapes following the left and right side surfaces 31B of the cushioning member 30 and the left and right side surfaces of the holding member 40. The left and right side walls 51B sandwich the cushioning member 30 and the holding member 40 in the left-right direction.

[0051] The upper wall portion 52 extends rearward from the upper end of the front wall 51A. The upper wall portion 52 has a second hole H2 that can be engaged with the engagement portion 42 of the holding member 40. The second hole H2 overlaps with the first hole H1 of the housing 10 when the support member 50 is temporarily fixed to the housing 10 (see FIG. 6). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the dimension of the second hole H2 in the front-rear direction is larger than the dimension of the first hole H1 in the front-rear direction. The second hole H2 is disposed between the first hole H1 and the main body portion 41 in the up-down direction. In other words, the upper wall portion 52 is sandwiched between the upper wall 12 of the housing 10 and the second portion 41B of the main body portion 41 in the up-down direction.

[0052] 3, each mounting portion 53 extends outward in the left-right direction from the rear end of each side wall 51B. Each mounting portion 53 has a circular mounting hole 53A through which a fastening member 60 passes. The diameter of the mounting hole 53A is smaller than the diameter of a head 61 of the fastening member 60.

[0053] The claws 54 are provided on each of the left and right mounting parts 53. The claws 54 extend downward from the lower end of the mounting part 53, then extend rearward, and then extend downward in a bent shape. The claws 54 are engageable with the engagement holes HB of the housing 10.

[0054] 2, the cushioning member 30 and the holding member 40 are disposed between the two fastening members 60 in the left-right direction. The cushioning member 30 and the holding member 40 are disposed between the two claw portions 54 in the direction along the straight line connecting the two claw portions 54, i.e., in the left-right direction.

[0055] Next, a manufacturing method of the vehicle latch device 1 will be described. Specifically, the manufacturing method after mechanical components such as the latch 20 are assembled to the housing 10 will be described.

[0056] 7(a) and (b), the worker first attaches the cushioning member 30 to the holding member 40 by fitting the protrusions 32 of the cushioning member 30 into the engagement grooves 41C of the holding member 40 (first step). Next, the worker temporarily fastens the support member 50 to the housing 10 by engaging the left and right claw portions 54 of the support member 50 with the left and right engagement holes HB of the housing 10 (second step). Note that the order of the first and second steps may be reversed.

[0057] Thereafter, the worker inserts and engages the engaging portion 42 of the holding member 40 to which the buffer member 30 is attached into the first hole H1 of the housing 10 and the second hole H2 of the support member 50, thereby supporting the support member 50 on the housing 10 via the holding member 40 as shown in FIG. 7(c) (third step). As a result, the support member 50 is supported on the housing 10 via the holding member 40 in a state before being fastened to the housing 10. Finally, the worker passes two fastening members 60 through the left and right mounting holes 53A, HA of the support member 50 and the housing 10 as shown in FIG. 3, and screws them into nuts (not shown) of the bracket S2 shown in FIG. 1 to fasten the support member 50 and the housing 10 to the bracket S2 (fourth step).

[0058] As described above, the following effects can be obtained in this embodiment. By engaging the engagement portion 42 of the holding member 40 with the housing 10 and the support member 50, the support member 50 is supported by the housing 10 via the holding member 40 before being fastened to the housing 10, making it easier to perform the fastening work of the support member 50.

[0059] Since one engagement portion 42 provided on the holding member 40 is engaged with the first hole H1 of the housing 10 and the second hole H2 of the support member 50 arranged on top of each other, the shape of the holding member 40 can be simplified compared to a structure in which, for example, one of the two engagement portions is engaged with the housing and the other is engaged with the support member.

[0060] Since the second hole H2 is positioned between the first hole H1 and the main body portion 41, the upper wall portion 52 of the support member 50 in which the second hole H2 is formed can be sandwiched and held between the housing 10 and the main body portion 41.

[0061] Since the engagement portion 42 is elastically deformable into a first state larger than the first hole H1 and a second state smaller than the first hole H1 and the second hole H2, it is possible to prevent the holding member 40 from coming off the housing 10 and the support member 50.

[0062] Since the holding member 40 is disposed between the two fastening members 60, the buffer member 30 and the holding member 40 can be firmly held between the support member 50 and the housing 10.

[0063] Because the support member 50 has a claw portion 54 that engages with the housing 10, the support member 50 can be temporarily fixed to the housing 10 before the engagement portion 42 of the holding member 40 is engaged with the housing 10 and the support member 50, making it easier to engage the engagement portion 42 with the housing 10 and the support member 50.

[0064] Since the holding member 40 is disposed between the two claw portions 54, the holding member 40 can be stably held by the support member 50 temporarily fixed to the housing 10.

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be used in various forms as exemplified below. In the above embodiment, the support member is provided with the claw portions, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the support member does not necessarily have to be provided with the claw portions.

[0066] The shape of the engaging portion is not limited to that in the above embodiment, and may be any shape, such as a cylindrical shape or a hook shape.

[0067] Furthermore, the vehicle latch device 1 may be used not only in the backrest of a vehicle seat such as a vehicle seat, but also in the seating portion or legs of the vehicle seat, and may be used as a device for locking an opening and closing part such as the trunk of a vehicle. The vehicle seat may also be a seat of a vessel or an airplane other than a vehicle. In addition, when a striker is provided on the vehicle seat, the latch device may be provided on the vehicle body.

[0068] The elements described in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may be implemented in any combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1 Vehicle latch device 10. Chassis 30 Cushioning material 40 Retaining member 42 Engagement part 50 Support member ST1 Rod part

Claims

1. A vehicle latch device that locks or unlocks by engaging or disengaging with a rod-shaped portion, A cushioning member capable of contacting the rod-shaped portion; A holding member for holding the buffer member; A housing and a support member fastened to the housing, the support member supporting the buffer member and the holding member between the support member and the housing; the holding member has an engagement portion that engages with the housing and the support member, the support member is supported by the housing via the holding member before being fastened to the housing, the housing has a first hole engageable with the engaging portion, The support member has a second hole overlapping with the first hole and capable of engaging with the engaging portion.

2. The holding member has a main body portion that holds the buffer member, The engagement portion protrudes from the main body portion, 2. The vehicle latch device according to claim 1, wherein the second hole is disposed between the first hole and the body portion.

3. 3. The vehicle latch device according to claim 1, wherein the engagement portion is elastically deformable between a first state in which the engagement portion is larger than the first hole and a second state in which the engagement portion is smaller than the first hole and the second hole.

4. Further, two fastening members for fastening the support member to the housing are provided, 4. The vehicle latch device according to claim 1, wherein the retaining member is disposed between two of the fastening members.

5. 5. The vehicle latch device according to claim 1, wherein the support member has a claw portion that engages with the housing.

6. The support member has two of the claw portions, 6. The vehicle latch device according to claim 5, wherein the retaining member is disposed between the two claw portions in a direction along a straight line connecting the two claw portions.

7. A vehicle latch device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a frame to which the vehicle latch device is fixed.

8. A method for manufacturing a vehicle latch device comprising: a shock-absorbing member capable of contacting a rod-shaped portion; a retaining member for retaining the shock-absorbing member; a housing; and a support member fastened to the housing, the support member supporting the shock-absorbing member and the retaining member between the housing and the retaining member, the retaining member having an engagement portion that engages with the housing and the support member, the housing having a first hole engageable with the engagement portion, and the support member having a second hole engageable with the engagement portion, attaching the cushioning member to the holding member; a step of supporting the support member on the housing via the holding member by overlapping the second hole with the first hole and engaging the engagement portion with the first hole and the second hole; and fastening the support member to the housing.

Images