Vehicle seat

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle seat which can prevent shifting of a back of an occupant and inhibit occurrence of a submarine phenomenon during a frontal collision in a state that the occupant assumes a comfort posture.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat 10 includes: a seat cushion 12 having a submarine prevention part 22 at a front part; a seat back 14; a reclining mechanism 40 which rotates around a reclining center C; a rotation device 50 which rotates in conjunction with reclining motion of the reclining mechanism 40; a deformation body 70 which is disposed at an area, located at the rear of the seat cushion and the seat front relative to the rotation device 50, and may deform its shape; and a moving part 60 which is taken up by the rotation device 50 rotating in conjunction with the reclining motion to be moved to the seat rear and deform the deformation body 70 to the seat rear side and the seat upper side when the seat back 14 is inclined backward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle seat equipped with an escape mechanism that rotates in the vehicle front-rear direction at the front of the seat cushion. In Patent Document 1, the escape mechanism and the upper end of the seat back are connected by a planar body that extends along the seating surface, so that the escape mechanism rotates backward in conjunction with the reclining of the seat back, making it difficult for the back to shift due to the tilting of the seat back. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-010976 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The vehicle seat described in Patent Document 1 has the effect of suppressing back slippage caused by the tilting of the seat back as described above. Meanwhile, in vehicles equipped with an automatic driving function, it is expected that in the future, a comfortable posture (reclined posture) with the seat back tilted backward will be more common during automatic driving. However, Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the submarine phenomenon that occurs when a vehicle crashes (frontal collision) in a comfortable posture, that is, when an impact is received in a collision accident, the occupant breaks free from the restraint of the seat belt, slides off the seat, and slips under the dashboard, etc., and there is room for improvement in terms of measures against the submarine phenomenon in a frontal collision in a comfortable posture.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that can prevent the back of an occupant from shifting when the occupant is in a comfortable position and can suppress the submarine phenomenon during a frontal collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle seat of the present invention described in claim 1 comprises a seat cushion having a submarine prevention portion at a front portion thereof and on which an occupant sits, a seat back erected from a rear portion of the seat cushion and forming a backrest for the occupant seated on the seat cushion, a reclining mechanism that rotates around a reclining center and adjusts the angle of the seat back relative to the seat cushion, a rotating device that rotates in conjunction with the reclining action of the reclining mechanism, a deformation body that is arranged in a rear region of the seat cushion and forward of the rotating device and is shape-deformable, and a moving portion that, when the seat back is tilted backward by the reclining mechanism, is taken up by the rotating device that rotates in conjunction with the reclining action and moves toward the rear of the seat, thereby deforming the deformation body toward the rear and upper part of the seat.

[0007] In the vehicle seat according to the present invention described in claim 1, when the seat back is tilted backward by the reclining mechanism, the rotating device rotates in conjunction with the reclining action. The rotating rotating device then winds up the moving part, which moves the moving part toward the rear of the seat and deforms a shape-deformable deformation body disposed in the rear region of the seat cushion and in front of the rotating device toward the rear and upper part of the seat. That is, the deformation body is deformed toward the rear and upper part of the seat by the moving part. The deformation of the deformation body lifts the rear region of the seat cushion, so that the hip point of the occupant seated on the seat cushion is raised. This reduces the change in the distance from the headrest to the hip point when the seat back is reclined, thereby suppressing back slippage.

[0008] In addition, by raising the hip point, the lap belt anchor is relatively lowered, so that the lap belt anchor can be positioned lower, which is advantageous for preventing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon during a frontal collision. In addition, the deformed body can raise the pelvic angle of the occupant, improving the fit between the lap belt and the occupant's ilium, and improving the restraint performance of the occupant's lower back. As a result, the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon during a frontal collision can be prevented in a comfortable posture. Effect of the Invention

[0009] As described above, the vehicle seat according to the present invention has the excellent effect of preventing the back from shifting when the occupant is in a comfortable position and suppressing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon in the event of a frontal collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention in a normal position; [Diagram 2] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention in a comfortable position; [Diagram 3] 1A is an enlarged side view of a reclining mechanism and a rotating device in a normal position, and FIG. [Figure 4] 1A is an enlarged side view and FIG. 1B is an enlarged plan view of a reclining mechanism and a rotating device in a comfortable position. [Diagram 5] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of a seat cushion of the vehicle seat of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of a seat cushion of the vehicle seat of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A vehicle seat 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted. The arrows UP, FR, LH, and RH shown as appropriate in each drawing respectively indicate the upward direction, forward direction, leftward direction in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) and rightward direction in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle seat 10 mounted on the vehicle. In the following description, when the directions of front-rear, left-right, and up-down are simply used, they shall indicate the front-rear direction in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and the up-down direction in the up-down direction of the vehicle seat 10 mounted on the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

[0012] (Vehicle seat configuration) The vehicle seat 10 of this embodiment is a seat installed in a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a train, etc.), and is, for example, an 8-way power seat with adjustment functions for the front-rear movement of the seat, the seat height, the reclining, and the inclination of the seat cushion. In this embodiment, the vehicle seat 10 is, for example, a left front seat in a vehicle. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle seat 10 includes a seat cushion 12 on which an occupant sits (supporting the occupant's buttocks and thighs), a seat back 14 that supports the occupant's back, i.e., forms a backrest, and a headrest 16 that supports the occupant's head.

[0013] The seat cushion 12 includes a cushion pad 18, a seat pan 20, and a seat cover (not shown).

[0014] The cushion pad 18 constitutes the seat surface of the vehicle seat 10, and is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material having elasticity, such as polyurethane foam (polyurethane foam). An occupant sits on the upper side (seat surface) of the seat cushion 12. The cushion pad 18 also includes a submarine prevention portion 22 on the lower side of the front portion of the cushion pad 18.

[0015] The submarine prevention portion 22 is a member for preventing an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 10 from sliding off the vehicle seat 10 during a frontal collision, and is configured, for example, of a member having a higher hardness than the cushion pad 18. Specifically, it is formed integrally with the cushion pad 18 from a synthetic resin material such as polyurethane foam (foamed polyurethane).

[0016] The seat pan 20 is a frame that constitutes the skeleton of the seat cushion 12, and has a recess 20A on the upper side in which the cushion pad 18 is placed. The seat cover is formed of a flexible sheet material such as cloth, leather, or synthetic leather. The seat cushion 12 is constructed by attaching the cushion pad 18 to the recess 20A of the seat pan 20, and further covering the surface of the cushion pad 18 with the seat cover.

[0017] On the other hand, the seat back 14 constitutes the backrest portion of the vehicle seat 10, and supports the back of an occupant seated on the seat cushion 12 with the seat front side (seat surface) of the seat back 14. The seat back 14 includes a seat back frame 26, a seat back pad 28, and a seat covering.

[0018] The seatback frame 26 constitutes the framework of the seatback 14. The seatback pad 28 is formed of, for example, an elastic synthetic resin material such as polyurethane foam (foamed polyurethane). The seat cover is formed of a flexible sheet material such as cloth, leather, or synthetic leather. The seatback 14 is constructed by attaching the seatback pad 28 to the seatback frame 26 and further covering the surface thereof with the seat cover.

[0019] The vehicle seat 10 also includes a reclining mechanism 40. The reclining mechanism 40 is a known mechanism that rotates the seat back 14 around a reclining center C to adjust the angle of the seat back 14 relative to the seat cushion 12. As an example, the reclining mechanism 40 uses an electric actuator to transmit force to the seat back frame 26, thereby rocking the seat back frame 26 in the front-rear direction relative to the seat pan 20.

[0020] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the normal position is a state in which the seat back 14 is tilted backward by the reclining mechanism 40 so that the angle R between the floor 100 of the vehicle (not shown) and the seat back 14 is, for example, about 45° to 90°. That is, the normal position is a state in which the seat back 14 is tilted backward by 0° to 45° in the up-down direction (vertical direction). Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the comfortable position (reclining position) is a state in which the seat back 14 is tilted backward by the reclining mechanism 40 so that the angle R between the floor 100 of the vehicle (not shown) in which the vehicle seat 10 is mounted and the seat back 14 is, for example, about 30° to 45°. That is, the comfortable position is a state in which the seat back 14 is tilted backward by, for example, about 45° to 60° in the up-down direction.

[0021] The vehicle seat 10 also includes a rotation device 50 that is disposed above and in front of the reclining center C and rotates in conjunction with the reclining operation of the reclining mechanism 40, and a moving part 60 that is wound up by the rotation device 50.

[0022] 3 and 4, the rotation device 50 includes a first rotating shaft 52 that passes through insertion holes (not shown) provided in the left wall portion 20L and the right wall portion 20R that are erected from the bottom surface in the left-right direction of the seat pan 20, and is rotatably supported by the left wall portion 20L and the right wall portion 20R. A first rotating gear 54 serving as a sprocket that rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft 52 is fixed to the inside (left side) in the width direction of the right wall portion 20R on the first rotating shaft 52.

[0023] Meanwhile, a second rotating shaft 42 that passes through the left side frame 26L and the right side frame 26R is fixed to the left side frame 26L and the right side frame 26R of the seatback frame 26. A left wall portion 20L and a right wall portion 20R are disposed on the outer sides of the left side frame 26L and the right side frame 26R in the width direction, respectively, and the left wall portion 20L and the right wall portion 20R rotatably support the second rotating shaft 42. In other words, the seatback frame 26 (the left side frame 26L and the right side frame 26R) rotates together with the second rotating shaft 42 that is supported and rotated by the left wall portion 20L and the right wall portion 20R, so that the central axis of the second rotating shaft 42 becomes the reclining center C of the reclining mechanism 40.

[0024] A second rotating gear 44 serving as a sprocket is fixed to the second rotating shaft 42 on the inner side (left side) in the width direction of the right side frame 26R, and the rotating gear 44 rotates integrally with the second rotating shaft 42.

[0025] Also, as shown in Figures 3(a) and 4(a), a chain 58 is wound around the outer periphery of the first rotating gear 54 and the second rotating gear 44, so that the first rotating gear 54 rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft 52 in accordance with the rotation of the second rotating gear 44.

[0026] A bobbin 56 extending in the width direction is fixed to the first rotating shaft 52 in the center in the left-right direction, to the left of the first rotating gear 54. In other words, the first rotating shaft 52, the first rotating gear 54, and the bobbin 56 rotate integrally in conjunction with the reclining operation of the reclining mechanism 40.

[0027] The rear of an air bag 70, which will be described later, and a left strap end 64L and a right strap end 64R of a strap 64, which will be described later, are fixed to the bobbin 56. In conjunction with the reclining operation, the first rotating gear 54 rotates together with the second rotating gear 44, and the bobbin 56 rotates together with the first rotating shaft 52 in a direction that winds up the rear of the air bag 70, and the left strap end 64L and the right strap end 64R, thereby winding up the rear of the air bag 70, and the left strap end 64L and the right strap end 64R. The winding amounts of the rear of the air bag 70, and the left strap end 64L and the right strap end 64R can be adjusted by the gear ratio between the first rotating gear 54 and the second rotating gear 44 and the diameter of the bobbin 56.

[0028] In this embodiment, the rotating device 50 is made up of a first rotating shaft 52, a second rotating shaft 42, a first rotating gear 54, a second rotating gear 44, a bobbin 56, and a chain 58.

[0029] On the other hand, the left strap end 64L and the right strap end 64R of the strap 64 are fixed to the bobbin 56 as described above. Also, the center portion 64F of the strap 64 is located in front of the seat as shown in Fig. 3, and is fixed to the air bag 70 as a deformable body described below so as to surround the air bag 70 from the front end side. It is sufficient that at least a portion of the front end side of the strap 64 and the air bag 70 is fixed to each other.

[0030] The air bag 70 is a bag filled with air and sealed, and has an internal pressure that allows the air bag 70 to deform. The rear end of the air bag 70 is fixed to the bobbin 56 together with the strap left end 64L and the strap right end 64R. Note that, although both sides of the front end of the strap 64 are shown to have corners in Figs. 3 and 4, in reality, the shape of the front end of the strap 64 is adapted to the shape of the air bag 70. Also, although there are gaps on both sides in the width direction between the strap 64 and the air bag 70, there is no particular limitation as long as the air bag 70 is shape-deformable, and the presence or absence of a gap is acceptable.

[0031] 1, in this embodiment, the air bag 70 is disposed inside the cushion pad 18, and is placed on a mounting portion 62 that is also disposed inside the cushion pad 18 and provided on the rear end side of the recess 20A of the seat pan 20. The mounting portion 62 is made of a material that is hard enough to withstand at least the weight of an occupant, and as an example, is made of the same material as the seat pan 20. The mounting portion 62 has a slight recess at the top to limit the movement of the air bag 70.

[0032] The cushion pad 18 of the present embodiment has a mounting portion 62, an air bag 70 mounted on the mounting portion 62, and a strap 64 fixed to the air bag 70 disposed therein, and the rear of the air bag 70, as well as a left end 64L and a right end 64R of the strap 64 extend outside the cushion pad 18 and are fixed to the bobbin 56. In the present embodiment, the mounting portion 62 and the strap 64 form a moving portion 60 that deforms the air bag 70.

[0033] (Actions and Effects of the Embodiments) Next, the operation and effects of the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment configured as above will be described.

[0034] In the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment, the seat back 14 is reclined by the reclining mechanism 40. That is, the seat back 14 rotates around the reclining center C together with the second rotation shaft 42 and is tilted backward from the normal position shown in Fig. 1 to the comfortable position (reclined position) shown in Fig. 2.

[0035] In conjunction with this reclining movement, the rear of the air bag 70 and the left and right strap ends 64L, 64R of the strap 64 are wound onto the bobbin 56 by the rotating device 50. Specifically, as the right side frame 26R of the seatback frame 26 tilts backward, the second rotating gear 44 fixed to the second rotating shaft 42 rotates, and the first rotating gear 54 also rotates via the chain 58. In addition, as the first rotating gear 54 rotates, the first rotating shaft 52 to which the first rotating gear 54 is fixed and the bobbin 56 fixed to the first rotating shaft 52 rotate.

[0036] The bobbin 56 is rotated in a direction to wind up the rear of the air bag 70 and the left and right strap ends 64L, 64R, thereby winding up the left and right strap ends 64L, 64R. This causes the strap 64 to move from the normal position shown in Fig. 3 to the comfortable position shown in Fig. 4. That is, the left and right strap ends 64L, 64R of the strap 64 are wound by the rotation device 50, and the center portion 64F of the strap 64 moves toward the rear of the seat as shown in Fig. 4.

[0037] 1 and 5, when the air bag 70 is placed on the recess of the mounting portion 62 (in the normal position), the front end side of the air bag 70 is pressed backward by the center portion 64F of the strap 64. At this time, the rear of the air bag 70 is wound up by the rotating device 50, so that the internal pressure is adjusted to high pressure, and since the mounting portion 62 is made of a hard material as described above, the air bag 70 is deformed backward and upward as shown in Figures 2 and 6. As a result, the cushion pad 18 is lifted as shown in Figure 6, and the lower back of the occupant seated on the cushion pad 18, i.e., the hip point HP, is raised as shown in Figure 2.

[0038] By raising the hip point HP in this manner, the difference between the distance L1 from the center O of the headrest 16 to the hip point HP in the normal posture shown in FIG. 1 and the distance L2 from the center O of the headrest 16 to the hip point HP in the comfortable posture shown in FIG. 2 can be reduced, thereby preventing the back from slipping.

[0039] Furthermore, by raising the hip point HP, the height H2 from the lap belt anchor A to the hip point HP in the comfortable position shown in Fig. 5 can be made higher than the height H1 from the lap belt anchor A to the hip point HP in the normal position shown in Fig. 1, so the lap belt anchor A can be relatively lowered. This allows the lap belt anchor A to be positioned lower, which is advantageous for preventing the submarine phenomenon from occurring during a frontal collision.

[0040] Furthermore, by deforming the air bag 70 upward, the angle of the occupant's pelvis can be made more upright, improving the fit between the lap belt and the occupant's ilium, thereby enhancing the ability of the lap belt to restrain the occupant's lower back.

[0041] As described above, the vehicle seat 10 of this embodiment can suppress the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon during a frontal collision in a comfortable position.

[0042] Furthermore, the air bag 70 and the rotating device 50 are configured to be wound up in conjunction with the reclining action of the seat back 14, and therefore can be used repeatedly, unlike configurations that use inflators that generate high-pressure gas by burning gunpowder.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the rotating device 50 is configured to use the first rotating gear 54 and the second rotating gear 44 as sprockets and the chain 58, but the present invention is not limited to this. The rotating device 50 may be configured to use a pulley and a belt. Also, the rotating device 50 may be configured such that the first rotating gear 54 and the second rotating gear 44 are configured as gears and are disposed so that the first rotating gear 54 and the second rotating gear 44 directly mesh with each other.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the anti-submarine portion 22 is made of a synthetic resin material such as polyurethane foam, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the anti-submarine portion 22 may be a known seat cushion airbag.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, moving section 60 is configured to use one strap 64, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, central section 64F fixed to air bag 70 may be a belt wider than strap 64, with straps 64 connected to both ends of the belt, and both ends of strap 64 wound up by rotating device 50. In other words, it is sufficient that the bobbin 56 of rotating device 50 can wind up at least a length that ensures an amount of movement that allows air bag 70 to be deformed to a target height.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the moving unit 60 is configured to use the strap 64, but the present invention is not limited to this. The moving unit 60 may use a belt such as a lap belt instead of the strap 64, or may use any configuration as long as the bobbin 56 of the rotating device 50 is configured to be retractable.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the air bag 70 is used as the deformable body, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a water bag, or a bag filled with micro-sized beads, or any other shape that is deformable.

[0048] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and one embodiment may be appropriately combined with various modified examples, and the present invention may of course be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10 Vehicle seats 12 Seat cushion 14 Seat back 22 Submarine Prevention Department 40 Reclining mechanism 50 Rotating Device 60 Mobile Part 70 Air Bag (Transformation Body) C Reclining center R angle

Claims

[Claim 1] A seat cushion on which a passenger sits, the seat cushion having a submarine prevention portion at a front portion; a seat back that stands upright from a rear portion of the seat cushion and serves as a backrest for a passenger seated on the seat cushion; a reclining mechanism that rotates around a reclining center to adjust the angle of the seat back relative to the seat cushion; a rotation device that rotates in conjunction with the reclining operation of the reclining mechanism; a deformation body that is disposed in a rear region of the seat cushion and is forward of the rotation device and capable of deforming; a moving section that, when the seat back is tilted backward by the reclining mechanism, moves toward the rear of the seat by being wound up by the rotating device that rotates in conjunction with the reclining operation, and deforms the deformation body toward the rear and upper part of the seat; A vehicle seat comprising:

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