Vehicle seat neck rest

Abstract

To provide a neck rest that can be attached, as required, to a vehicle seat using a normal headrest.SOLUTION: A neck rest 10 is disposed between an upper part of a seat back and a headrest 3. The headrest 3 is supported on the seat back by inserting a leading-end side of a stay portion 3a1, extending downward from a body portion, into the seat back. The neck rest 10 has a first frame portion 11a provided with a through-hole 11a11 for passing the stay portion 3a1 therethrough, mounted on the stay portion 3a1, with the stay portion 3a1 passed through the through-hole 11a11 from above, and thereby disposed between the body portion and the upper part of the seat back; and a central support portion 11A mounted on a front-end side of the first frame portion 11a and supporting a neck part of a seated occupant P from behind.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a neck rest for a vehicle seat. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an automobile seat that is provided with a headrest that supports the head of a seated occupant on the upper part of the seat back, and a neck rest that supports the neck of the seated occupant on the lower part of the headrest. In the automobile seat described in Patent Document 1, a headrest having a shape with a recess that is recessed toward the rear on the lower part is attached to the upper part of the seat back, and the neck rest is provided so as to be movable in and out of the recess in the front-rear direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-206229 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the automobile seat disclosed in Patent Document 1, the headrest has a special shape different from that of a normal type in order to accommodate a neck rest. It would be fine if all automobile seats installed in the same type of automobile were equipped with neck rests, but there was a problem in that multiple types of headrests had to be prepared if seats with and without neck rests were to be provided depending on the grade, etc. Therefore, there was a demand for a neck rest that could be installed as needed while using a normal type headrest.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In view of these demands, it is an object of the present invention to provide a neck rest that can be attached, as needed, to vehicle seats that use conventional head rests. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention of the present invention is a neck rest for a vehicle seat that is placed between an upper surface of a seat back and a headrest, wherein the headrest is supported on the seat back by inserting the tip side of a stay portion extending downward from a main body portion into the seat back, and the vehicle seat neck rest has a base portion that has a through hole that passes the stay portion vertically and is attached to the stay portion with the stay portion passing through the through hole from above, and is placed between the main body portion and the upper surface of the seat back, and a neck rest main body portion that is attached to the front end side of the base portion and supports the neck of a seated occupant from behind.

[0007] According to the first invention, the base portion is attached to the stay portion of a normal headrest attached to the top of the seat back and is positioned between the main body portion and the top of the seat back, making it possible to easily attach the neck rest without using a separate part.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first aspect, wherein the neck rest main body is attached to the base so that its front-rear position can be adjusted.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the front-rear position of the neck rest main body can be adjusted to suit the preference of the seated occupant, thereby improving comfort.

[0010] The third invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned second invention, the neck rest main body has a movable frame that can move back and forth relative to the base, and a cushion member is attached to the front side of the movable frame via a bladder that expands and contracts by letting air in and out.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pressing force supporting the neck of a seated occupant from behind can be easily adjusted by letting air in and out of the bladder.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned third aspect, is characterized in that a vibrator for applying vibration to the neck of the seated occupant is provided on the front side or rear side of the cushion member.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the effect of transmitting sound to the neck of a seated occupant by the vibrator can be, for example, to produce low-pitched sounds like a speaker, or to provide a bone-conduction acoustic effect, and can also provide a massage effect.

[0014] The fifth invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, side support portions are provided on both left and right sides of the neck rest main body portion, which rotate in the front-to-rear direction around a rotation axis extending approximately in the vertical direction to support the neck of the seated occupant from the side.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the neck of the seated occupant can be supported not only from behind but also from both the left and right directions, thereby improving comfort.

[0016] A sixth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned fifth aspect, is characterized in that a speaker is disposed inside the side support portion.

[0017] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, sound can be emitted from the speaker on the side support portion, thereby improving the acoustic effect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the neck rest of one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] 1 to 3 show a neck rest 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an automobile seat 1. In each drawing, arrows indicate each direction based on a seated occupant P seated in the automobile seat 1. In the following description, descriptions of directions will be made based on these directions. Here, the neck rest 10 corresponds to the "neck rest for vehicle seats" in the claims.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, an automobile seat 1 to which a neck rest 10 according to this embodiment is attached has a seat cushion (not shown) that serves as a seating portion for an occupant, a seat back 2 that serves as a back rest portion for the occupant, and a headrest 3 that supports the head of the occupant. The seat back 2 is formed by covering the surface of a back pad (not shown) as a cushioning material that is placed on a back frame (not shown) that serves as a skeleton with a back cover 2a as a skin material. The outline of the back cover 2a that covers the back pad constitutes the outline of the seat back 2. The seat back 2 is attached to the seat cushion so as to be tiltable in the front-rear direction, and in the normal state shown in Fig. 3, the upper surface portion 2b is in an approximately horizontal state.

[0021] As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the headrest 3 is of a type generally used in automobile seats, and includes a headrest frame 3a forming a skeleton and a main body portion 3b fixed to the headrest frame 3a. The headrest frame 3a is formed by bending a metal pipe into a substantially U-shape having an opening downward when viewed from the front. The portion opposite the upper opening is embedded in the main body portion 3b to be integrated with the main body portion 3b. A pair of left and right portions extending downward from the lower side of the main body portion 3b are stay portions 3a1. The main body portion 3b is a portion that abuts against and supports the head of a seated occupant P from behind, and is formed by covering a headrest pad (not shown) as a cushioning material with a headrest cover 3b1 as a skin material. The outline of the headrest cover 3b1 covering the headrest pad constitutes the outline of the main body portion 3b. The stay portions 3a1 are inserted into headrest supports (not shown) fixed to the upper portion of the seat back 2, so that the vertical positions of the stay portions 3a1 are adjustable relative to the seat back 2.

[0022] 1 to 3, the neck rest 10 has a neck rest frame 11 forming a framework, a neck rest pad 12 as a cushioning material attached to the front side of the neck rest frame 11, and a neck rest cover 13 as a skin material that covers the neck rest pad 12. Furthermore, the neck rest 10 has a bladder 14, a vibrator 15, and a speaker 16 that are arranged between the neck rest pad 12 and the neck rest frame 11.

[0023] The neck rest frame 11 has a flat first frame portion 11a and a second frame portion 11b attached to the front end of the first frame portion 11a. The first frame portion 11a is attached to the stay portion 3a1 of the headrest 3 in a state in which it is disposed between the main body portion 3b of the headrest 3 and the upper surface portion 2b of the seat back 2. Therefore, when the headrest 3 is moved up and down relative to the seat back 2, the headrest 3 moves up and down accordingly. The second frame portion 11b is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the first frame portion 11a and can be adjusted in the front-rear position by stopping the movement at an appropriate position. Here, the first frame portion 11a and the second frame portion 11b correspond to the "base portion" and the "movable frame" in the claims, respectively.

[0024] The first frame portion 11a includes a main portion 11a1 having a generally rectangular shape with the long axis direction being the left-right direction in a top view, and a protruding portion 11a2 having a rectangular frame shape in a top view, which is provided in the left-right center of the front end side of the main portion 11a1 and protrudes forward. A convex strip (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction is provided on a right side surface portion 11a21 and a left side surface portion 11a22 of the protruding portion 11a2. The main portion 11a1 and the protruding portion 11a2 are formed into the same planar plate shape having a predetermined thickness in the up-down direction.

[0025] The main portion 11a1 is provided with two identical through holes 11a11 at symmetrical positions, each having an elliptical cross section with its long axis direction as the left-right direction, penetrating vertically. The width of the through holes 11a11 in the short axis direction, i.e., in the front-rear direction, is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the stay portion 3a1, and the left and right through holes 11a11 are positioned in the left-right direction so that the left and right stay portions 3a1 can be passed through the left and right through holes 11a11, respectively.

[0026] 2, with the left and right stay portions 3a1 inserted through the left and right through-holes 11a11, there are disposed an arc-shaped right outer pressing member 11e abutting against the right side surface of the right stay portion 3a1, an arc-shaped left outer pressing member 11f abutting against the left side surface of the left stay portion 3a1, an arc-shaped right inner pressing member 11g abutting against the left side surface of the right stay portion 3a1, and an arc-shaped left inner pressing member 11h abutting against the right side surface of the left stay portion 3a1. The right outer pressing member 11e is connected to the right end side of a right front rod-shaped body 11e1 extending in the left-right direction, and the left outer pressing member 11f is connected to the left end side of a left front rod-shaped body 11f1 extending in the left-right direction. A rack gear is provided on the rear side surface of the right front rod-shaped body 11e1, and a rack gear is provided on the front side surface of the left front rod-shaped body 11f1, with the front pinion gear 11m disposed therebetween rotatably about an axis extending in the vertical direction and screwed in. As a result, when the front pinion gear 11m is rotated, a state in which the right outer pressing member 11e presses the right side surface of the right stay portion 3a1 and the left outer pressing member 11f presses the left side surface of the left stay portion 3a1 can be selectively adopted, and a state in which the right outer pressing member 11e moves away from the right side surface of the right stay portion 3a1 and the left outer pressing member 11f moves away from the left side surface of the left stay portion 3a1 can be selectively adopted. The right inner pressing member 11g is connected to the right end of a right rear rod-shaped body 11g1 extending in the left-right direction, and the left inner pressing member 11h is connected to the left end of a left rear rod-shaped body 11h1 extending in the left-right direction. A rack gear is provided on the front side of the right rear rod-shaped body 11g1, and a rack gear is provided on the rear side of the left rear rod-shaped body 11h1, and a rear pinion gear 11n is disposed between them so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the up-down direction and is in a screwed state. As a result, when the rear pinion gear 11n is rotated, it is possible to selectively adopt a state in which the right inner pressing member 11g presses the left side surface of the right stay portion 3a1 and the left inner pressing member 11h presses the right side surface of the left stay portion 3a1, and a state in which the right inner pressing member 11g moves away from the left side surface of the right stay portion 3a1 and the left inner pressing member 11h moves away from the right side surface of the left stay portion 3a1.As a result, by rotating the front pinion gear 11m and the rear pinion gear 11n, the right stay portion 3a1 is sandwiched between the right outer pressing member 11e and the right inner pressing member 11g, and the left stay portion 3a1 is sandwiched between the left outer pressing member 11f and the left inner pressing member 11h, so that the first frame portion 11a can be fixed to the left and right stay portions 3a1. The right outer pressing member 11e, the left outer pressing member 11f, the right inner pressing member 11g, the left inner pressing member 11h, the right front rod-shaped body 11e1, the left front rod-shaped body 11f1, the right rear rod-shaped body 11g1, the left rear rod-shaped body 11h1, the front pinion gear 11m, and the rear pinion gear 11n are disposed in a space (not shown) provided inside the main portion 11a1.

[0027] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the second frame portion 11b includes a main body portion 11b1 that supports the neck rest pad 12, the bladder 14, the vibrator 15, and the speaker 16, and a connecting portion 11b2 that is provided at the center in the left-right direction on the rear end side of the main body portion 11b1 and has a substantially U-shaped shape in a top view and protrudes rearward. A groove (not shown) that slidably fits onto the protruding portion 11a2 of the first frame portion 11a is provided on the inner side surface in the left-right direction of the connecting portion 11b2. A lock button 11b21 that stops the sliding of the first frame portion 11a against the protruding portion 11a2 is provided at an appropriate front-rear position. This allows the second frame portion 11b to be adjusted in the front-rear position relative to the first frame portion 11a.

[0028] The main body 11b1 has a central portion 11b11 and side portions 11b12 provided on the left and right sides of the central portion 11b11. The central portion 11b11 is located behind the neck of the seated occupant P and has a plate shape that is slightly convex toward the rear. The side portions 11b12 are a pair of left and right portions that are symmetrical, and include a plate-shaped portion that extends from the right end of the central portion 11b11 to the upper right and a plate-shaped portion that extends from the left end of the central portion 11b11 to the upper left. A bladder 14 that expands and contracts by letting air in and out is attached to the center in the left-right direction on the front side of the central portion 11b11. In addition, a pair of left and right vibrators 15 that give the seated occupant P a massage effect and a bone conduction sound effect are attached to both sides of the bladder 14 on the front side of the central portion 11b11. The air supply and discharge mechanism for supplying and discharging air to and from the bladder 14 and the control device for controlling the operation of the vibrator 15 are not shown. The neck rest pad 12 is attached to cover the bladder 14 and the pair of left and right vibrators 15 from the front, and the neck rest cover 13 is placed on top of the neck rest pad 12 and the end of the neck rest cover 13 is fixed to the central portion 11b11 to form the central support portion 11A. As a result, the central support portion 11A can press and massage the neck of the seated occupant P from behind, and provide an acoustic effect by bone conduction. The neck rest pad 12 is preferably made of urethane foam, and the neck rest cover 13 is preferably made of fabric, synthetic leather, or other materials that are used as covering materials for ordinary automobile seats. Here, the central support portion 11A and the neck rest pad 12 correspond to the "neck rest main body" and "cushion member" in the claims, respectively.

[0029] A box-shaped speaker frame 11c is attached to the left and right side portions 11b12, respectively, and opens forward so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction around a rotation axis A extending in the approximately vertical direction. A torsion spring 11d is provided to rotate the speaker frame 11c in the direction of the side portion 11b12 around the rotation axis A, and a bladder 14 is provided between the front portion of the side portion 11b12 and the rear portion of the speaker frame 11c. Two speakers 16 are attached to the left and right sides of the speaker frame 11c, arranged vertically. A thin neck rest pad 12 is attached to the front portion of the speaker frame 11c, and a neck rest cover 13 is placed on top of the thin neck rest pad 12, and the end portion of the neck rest cover 13 is fixed to the speaker frame 11c to form a side support portion 11B. As shown in the left side support portion 11B of FIG. 2, the side support portion 11B can be switched between an open state shown by a solid line and a closed state shown by a two-dot chain line. Specifically, when the bladder 14 is in the open state, air is pumped into the bladder 14, which presses the speaker frame 11c forward against the side portion 11b12 and rotates it against the biasing force of the torsion spring 11d, thereby closing the side support portion 11B. When the air is released from the bladder 14, the side support portion 11B returns to the open state due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 11d. By closing the side support portion 11B, the neck of the seated occupant P can be supported from the side. The right side support portion 11B is similar to the left side. Note that the mechanism for supplying power to the speaker 16 is not shown in the figures.

[0030] The present embodiment configured as described above provides the following advantageous effects. The neck rest 10 can be attached to a normal headrest 3 supported by the seat back 2 by inserting the tip ends of a pair of left and right stay portions 3a1 extending downward from the main body portion 3b into the seat back 2. Specifically, the neck rest 10 is connected to the stay portions 3a1 with the first frame portion 11a disposed between the main body portion 3b and the upper surface portion 2b of the seat back 2 and the left and right stay portions 3a1 of the headrest 3 passing through the left and right through holes 11a11, respectively. This allows the neck rest 10 to be easily attached to the automobile seat 1 without using a separate member.

[0031] In addition, the neck rest pad 12 covered with the neck rest cover 13 via the bladder 14 is attached to the front side of the second frame portion 11b attached to the front side of the first frame portion 11a. This allows the pressure supporting the neck of the seated occupant P from the rear to be easily adjusted by letting air in and out of the bladder 14. Furthermore, a pair of left and right vibrators 15 are arranged between the front side of the second frame portion 11b and the rear side of the neck rest pad 12, so that the neck of the seated occupant P can be given a massage effect or a bone conduction sound effect by vibrating the vibrators 15. Furthermore, the left and right sides of the neck rest 10 are provided with side support parts 11B that rotate in the front-rear direction around the rotation axis A and support the neck of the seated occupant P from the side. This allows the neck of the seated occupant P to be supported not only from the rear but also from both the left and right directions, increasing comfort. In addition, speakers 16 are arranged inside the left and right side support parts 11B, improving the sound effect.

[0032] Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those external appearances and configurations, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following can be mentioned.

[0033] 1. In the above embodiment, the neck rest pad 12 covered with the neck rest cover 13 is attached to the first frame portion 11a via the second frame portion 11b, but this is not limited to the above, and the neck rest pad 12 covered with the neck rest cover 13 can also be attached directly to the first frame portion 11a.

[0034] 2. In the above embodiment, the bladder 14 and the vibrator 15 are disposed inside the central support portion 11A, but either one of them may be disposed, or the speaker 16 may be disposed instead of the vibrator 15. Also, the speaker 16 is disposed inside the side support portion 11B, but the vibrator 15 may be disposed instead of the speaker 16.

[0035] 3. In the above embodiment, the neck rest 10 is applied to the car seat 1, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to seats installed in airplanes, ships, trains, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Car seats 2 Seat back 2b Top part 3 Headrest 3a Headrest frame 3a1 Stay part 3b Main body 10 Neck rest (vehicle seat neck rest) 11 Neckrest Frame 11a First frame part (base part) 11a11 Through hole 11b Second frame part (movable frame) 11A Central support part (neck rest main body part) 11B side support part 12 Neck rest pad (cushion material) 14 Vlada 15 Transducers 16 Speakers A Rotation Axis P Seat passenger

Claims

1. A neck rest for a vehicle seat, which is disposed between an upper surface portion of a seat back and a head rest, The headrest is supported by the seat back by inserting a tip end side of a stay portion extending downward from a main body portion into the seat back, the vehicle seat neck rest is a base portion that is disposed between the main body portion and the upper surface portion of the seat back and that has a through hole that passes through the stay portion in a vertical direction and is attached to the stay portion in a state where the stay portion passes through the through hole from above; a neck rest main body portion attached to a front end side of the base portion and supporting a neck portion of a seated occupant from behind, The neck rest main body is attached to the base so that its front-rear position can be adjusted, The neck rest main body has a movable frame that can move back and forth relative to the base, A cushion member is attached to the front side of the movable frame via a bladder that expands and contracts by letting air in and out. A side support portion is provided on each of the left and right sides of the neck rest main body, the side support portion being configured to rotate in the front-rear direction around a rotation axis extending in the substantially vertical direction to support the neck of the seated occupant from the side, The side support portions are also rotated in the front-rear direction relative to the movable frame by the expansion and contraction of the bladder.

2. 2. The vehicle seat neck rest according to claim 1, wherein a vibrator for applying vibrations to the neck of the seated occupant is disposed on a front side or a rear side of the cushion member.

3. A neck rest for a vehicle seat as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a speaker is arranged inside the side support portion.

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