Tilt device

Abstract

To provide a tilt device capable of suppressing reduction of rigidity of a frame.SOLUTION: A tilt device 100 is configured so that: a link frame 20 in which, a pan frame 2 is fixed to one end part 20a and the other end part 20B is rotatably fitted to a coupling frame 10 coupling a pair of left and right side frames 1, 1, is provided between the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1, the side frame 1 is not subjected to processing for fitting the link frame 20, therefore, for example, rigidity reduction which occurs in prior ones and which is caused by a complicated shape for rotatably fitting the tilt member to the lower frame, is not caused. Therefore, the tilt device 100 has a structure which suppresses reduction of rigidity of the side frames 1, therefore rigidity of the frame forming the seat, is not reduced and the device can be preferably utilized.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tilt device that raises and lowers a seat surface of a seat. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Vehicle seats for automobiles and the like that are provided with a tilt mechanism for raising and lowering the seat surface are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This tilt mechanism is a cushion frame having a pair of left and right lower frames and a pan frame suspended across the front ends of the pair of left and right lower frames, and is equipped with a tilt member rotatably attached to the lower frames, and the tilt member rotates up and down to raise and lower the pan frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-129280 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of the tilt mechanism of Patent Document 1, the tilt member is rotatably attached to the lower frame, which makes the shape of the lower frame complex. As a result, it is difficult to obtain the same rigidity as a lower frame that does not have a structure to which a tilt member is attached, and the rigidity of the frame may be reduced.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a tilt device that is less likely to reduce the rigidity of the frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is: It is hung between the pair of left and right side frames that make up the seat.centre A tilt device for raising and lowering a frame, The above centre a link frame having one end portion fixed to the link frame and the other end portion rotatably attached to a connecting frame connecting the pair of left and right side frames; The link frame is rotated to centre a drive unit that switches the position of the frame between a close position close to the pair of left and right side frames and a distant position away from the pair of left and right side frames; Equipped with The drive unit includes a motor, a drive shaft rotated by the motor, and a drive shaft bracket arranged to be threadably advanced and retreated along the drive shaft, An intermediate portion between one end and the other end of the link frame is formed in a downwardly curved shape in which the motor is disposed, The link frames are arranged in a pair on the left and right, and a connecting member connecting the pair of left and right link frames is provided in the intermediate portion, the motor is disposed on a tilt bracket disposed between the pair of left and right side frames so as to be rotatable about an axial direction which corresponds to an extension direction of the connecting frame, and the drive shaft bracket is attached to the connecting member with a tip end of the drive shaft directed toward an opposite side of the tilt bracket, As the drive shaft bracket is moved toward the tip end side of the drive shaft, one end side of the link frame is raised, and as the drive shaft bracket is moved toward the base end side of the drive shaft, one end side of the link frame is lowered. It is characterized by:

[0008] Claim 2 The invention described in claim 1 In the tilt device described in The tilt bracket includes a tilt frame that is substantially parallel to the connecting frame and disposed below the connecting frame, The motor is characterized in that it is disposed on the tilt frame via a motor bracket that axially supports the motor so that the motor can rotate.

[0009] Claim 3 The invention described in claim 2 In the tilt device described in The tilt brackets are disposed in pairs on both ends of the tilt frame, It has a bracket body that supports the tilt frame. The bracket body is fixed to a seat frame that constitutes the seat.

[0010] Claim 4 The invention described in claim 2 or 3 In the tilt device described in The connecting member is characterized in that both ends are connected to the intermediate portion of the link frame.

[0011] Claim 5 The invention described in claim 1 ~ 4 In the tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the connecting member is a pipe-shaped member, The drive shaft bracket is attached so as to cover at least a portion of the peripheral surface of the connecting member in the circumferential direction. Claim 6 The invention described in claim 1 ~ 5 In the tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The connecting member is connected to a front part of the intermediate portion. Claim 7 The invention described in claim 1 to 6 In the tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The link frame is characterized in that it has a generally hat-shaped configuration when viewed from the side. Claim 8 The invention described in claim 1 to 7 In the tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The frame is characterized in that, when the frame is lowered to a close position close to the pair of left and right side frames, the lower end of the intermediate portion is positioned below the upper end of the drive portion and above the lower end of the drive portion. Claim 9 The invention described in claim 1 to 8 In the tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A portion of the drive portion is disposed rearward of the intermediate portion. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 1, in the tilt device, a link frame is fixed to one end side of a pan frame and rotatably attached to a connecting frame at the other end connecting a pair of left and right side frames, and is disposed between the pair of left and right side frames. Since no processing is performed on the side frames for attaching the link frame, there is no reduction in rigidity as occurs with the lower frame of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. In other words, since this tilt device has a structure that makes it difficult to reduce the rigidity of the side frame, it can be suitably used to switch the position of the pan frame between a lowered position and an raised position without reducing the rigidity of the frame that constitutes the seat.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 2, the tilt device has a structure in which the other ends of a pair of left and right link frames are rotatably attached to a connecting frame that connects a pair of left and right side frames, a motor of the drive unit is rotatably attached to a tilt bracket arranged between the pair of left and right side frames, and a drive bracket arranged on the drive shaft of the drive unit is attached to a connecting member that connects the pair of left and right link frames, and since the drive unit is supported by the tilt bracket and the connecting frame, the rigidity for supporting the drive unit that operates the tilt device is increased.

[0014] According to the invention described in claim 3, the tilt device has a structure in which the other ends of a pair of left and right link frames are rotatably attached to a connecting frame that connects a pair of left and right side frames, a motor of the drive unit is rotatably attached to a tilt frame that is approximately parallel to the connecting frame and arranged below the connecting frame, and a drive bracket arranged on the drive shaft of the drive unit is attached to a connecting member that connects the pair of left and right link frames, and since the drive unit is supported by the tilt frame and the connecting frame, the rigidity for supporting the drive unit that operates the tilt device is increased.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 4, the tilt device has a bracket body arranged in a pair on both ends of the tilt frame to support the tilt frame, and the bracket body is fixed to the seat frame that constitutes the seat, thereby further increasing the rigidity for supporting the drive unit that operates the tilt device.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 5, the intermediate portion between one end and the other end of the link frame in the tilt device is formed in a downwardly curved shape where the motor is arranged, so that the link frame has a roughly hat shape when viewed from the side, and both ends of the connecting member that connects the link frames are connected to the intermediate portion of the link frame, so that the amount of rotation of the link frame by the drive unit can be increased and the link frame can be rotated preferably. In addition, the middle portion of the link frame is formed in a downwardly curved shape so that the link frame has a roughly hat shape when viewed from the side, thereby increasing the vertical rigidity of the link frame as it rotates up and down.

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 6, the connecting member connecting the link frames in the tilt device is a pipe-shaped member, and the drive shaft bracket of the drive unit is attached so as to circumferentially cover at least a portion of the outer surface of the pipe-shaped connecting member. This increases the rigidity of that portion, making it possible to preferably apply the driving force of the drive unit to the connecting member (link frame) and preferably bear the load applied to the drive unit (drive shaft bracket) via the connecting member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tilt device of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the tilt device of the present embodiment, illustrating a state in which the pan frame is in a lowered position. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the tilt device of the present embodiment, illustrating a state in which the pan frame is in a first raised position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the tilt device of the present embodiment, illustrating a state in which the pan frame is in a second raised position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a seat frame equipped with a tilt device, showing a state in which the pan frame is in a lowered position. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a seat frame equipped with a tilt device, showing a state in which the pan frame is in a first raised position. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a seat frame equipped with a tilt device, showing a state in which the pan frame is in a second raised position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the tilt device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is subject to various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment and illustrated examples.

[0020] In the following description, the seat refers to a vehicle seat such as a car seat, an aircraft seat, or a ship seat, but is not limited to a vehicle seat. In the following description, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are defined as shown in Figure 5. Here, the backrest side of the seat is the "rear", the opposite side is the "front", the left hand side when seated on the seat and looking straight ahead is the "left", and the right hand side when seated on the seat and looking straight ahead is the "right", and the up-down direction corresponds to the vertical direction. In other words, the width direction of the seat corresponds to the left-right direction.

[0021] The tilt device 100 of this embodiment is a device that raises and lowers a pan frame 2 that is suspended between a pair of left and right side frames 1, 1 (see FIGS. 5 to 7) that constitute a seat. As shown in Figures 1, 2 to 4, and 5 to 7, for example, this tilt device 100 includes a link frame 20 having a pan frame 2 fixed to one end 20a and the other end 20b rotatably attached to a connecting frame 10 connecting a pair of left and right side frames 1,1, and a drive unit 30 that rotates the link frame 20 to switch the position of the pan frame 2 between a lowered position close to the pair of left and right side frames 1,1 and an elevated position away from the pair of left and right side frames 1,1.

[0022] The seat frame F is composed of a cushion frame that includes side frames 1,1 and a pan frame 2 and that forms the framework of the seat portion, and a back frame that forms the framework of the backrest. In other words, the side frame 1 and the pan frame 2 form part of the seat frame F. Although only the seat frame F of the seat is shown in Figs. 5 to 7, a cushion and a cover are attached to the seat frame F to constitute the seat on which the user sits.

[0023] The connecting frame 10, which connects the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1, is a pipe-shaped member extending in the width direction (left and right direction) of the seat, and the link frame 20 is arranged to be rotatable around the connecting frame 10, which is the connecting pipe, as its axis.

[0024] The link frames 20 are disposed in a pair on the left and right, and a connecting member 21 is provided to connect the pair of left and right link frames 20, 20 to each other. An intermediate portion 20c between one end portion 20a and the other end portion 20b of the link frame 20 is formed in a downwardly curved shape, and both ends of the connecting member 21 are connected to the intermediate portion 20c of the link frame 20. An intermediate portion 20c of the link frame 20 is formed in a downwardly curved shape where a motor 31 (drive portion 30) described later is disposed, and the link frame 20 has a generally hat-like shape when viewed from the side.

[0025] The drive unit 30 includes a motor 31, a drive shaft 32 rotated by the motor 31, and a drive shaft bracket 33 disposed along the drive shaft 32 so as to be capable of threadably advancing and retreating.

[0026] The motor 31 is disposed on a tilt bracket 40 disposed between the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1 so as to be rotatable about an axial direction which is the extension direction of the connecting frame 10 (the left-right direction). With this motor 31 rotatably disposed on the tilt bracket 40 , a drive shaft bracket 33 is attached to the connecting member 21 with the tip of the drive shaft 32 facing the opposite side of the tilt bracket 40 . Here, the connecting member 21 that connects the pair of left and right link frames 20, 20 together is a pipe-shaped member, and the drive shaft bracket 33 is attached so as to cover at least a portion of the peripheral surface of the connecting member 21 in the circumferential direction.

[0027] The motor 31 is a so-called screw motor, and the drive shaft 32 is a screw shaft. Further, in the drive shaft bracket 33, a nut (not shown) corresponding to the drive shaft 32 is journalled by a support shaft 33a. The drive shaft 32 of the motor 31 is screwed into a nut (not shown) that is journalled on the drive shaft bracket 33, and while the drive shaft 32 is screwed into the nut of the drive shaft bracket 33, it is capable of rotating with its axial direction intersecting the width direction of the seat.

[0028] In this type of drive unit 30, one end side of the link frame 20 is raised as the drive shaft bracket 33 is moved toward the tip side of the drive shaft 32 by screwing the nut forward, and one end side of the link frame 20 is lowered as the drive shaft bracket 33 is moved toward the base end side of the drive shaft 32 by screwing the nut back. The operation of driving the motor 31 to move the drive shaft bracket 33 back and forth along the drive shaft 32 and rotate the link frame 20 up and down will be described later.

[0029] The tilt bracket 40 comprises a tilt frame 41 which is approximately parallel to the connecting frame 10 and arranged below the connecting frame 10, a tilt bracket main body 42 which is arranged in a pair on both ends of the tilt frame 41 and supports the tilt frame 41, a motor bracket 43 which axially supports the motor 31 so that the motor 31 can rotate, and a connecting bracket 44 which connects the motor bracket 43 to the tilt frame 41. That is, the motor 31 of the drive unit 30 is disposed on the tilt frame 41 via a motor bracket 43 that supports the motor 31 rotatably. A tilt bracket main body 42 of the tilt bracket 40 is fixed to a cushion frame of a seat frame F that constitutes the seat.

[0030] Next, the operation of the tilting device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 and 5 to 7. FIG.

[0031] When the tilt device 100 is not in operation, the pan frame 2 is disposed in a lowered position adjacent to the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1, as shown in Figs. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the amount of movement of the drive unit 30 is "0 mm", and the drive shaft bracket 33 is at the base position of the drive shaft 32 closer to the motor 31.

[0032] When the tilt device 100 is operated to adjust the height of the seat cushion, a switch (not shown) is operated to drive the motor 31 so that the operating amount of the drive unit 30 is, for example, "20 mm", and the drive shaft 32 is rotated in the forward direction. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the drive shaft bracket 33 moves toward the tip side of the drive shaft 32 as the nut is screwed in, and one end 20a of the link frame 20 connected to the drive shaft bracket 33 via the connecting member 21 rises by one step, and the pan frame 2 fixed to the link frame 20 is positioned at a first raised position separated from the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1. For example, when the amount of movement of the drive unit 30 is "20 mm," the drive shaft bracket 33 is located at the center of the drive shaft 32, as shown in FIG.

[0033] Furthermore, by operating a switch (not shown) to drive the motor 31 so that the operating amount of the drive unit 30 is, for example, "40 mm," and the drive shaft 32 is rotated in the forward direction, as shown in Figures 4 and 7, the drive shaft bracket 33 moves further toward the tip of the drive shaft 32 as the nut is screwed in, and one end 20a of the link frame 20 connected to the drive shaft bracket 33 via the connecting member 21 rises one more step, and the pan frame 2 fixed to the link frame 20 is positioned at a second raised position further separated from the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1. For example, when the amount of movement of the drive unit 30 is "40 mm," the drive shaft bracket 33 is located at the shaft tip side of the drive shaft 32, as shown in FIG.

[0034] In this manner, the pan frame 2 can be placed in the first raised position or the second raised position by the tilt device 100, thereby allowing the height of the seat portion of the seat to be adjusted. Although it has been described here that the height position of the pan frame 2 can be switched between two levels, a first raised position (operation amount "20 mm") and a second raised position (operation amount "40 mm"), the height position of the pan frame 2 can be any within the range in which the drive shaft bracket 33 can move along the drive shaft 32, and the height of the seat portion of the seat can be adjusted by switching the height of the pan frame 2 so that the operation amount of the drive unit 30 is, for example, "15 mm" or "35 mm".

[0035] To return the seat height to its original position, a switch (not shown) is operated to drive the motor 31 so as to set the operating amount of the drive unit 30 to "0 mm" and rotate the drive shaft 32 in the reverse direction. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the drive shaft bracket 33 moves toward the base side of the drive shaft 32 as the nut is screwed back, and one end 20a of the link frame 20 connected to the drive shaft bracket 33 via the connecting member 21 lowers, and the pan frame 2 fixed to the link frame 20 is returned to a lowered position close to the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1.

[0036] As described above, the tilt device 100 of this embodiment can adjust the height of the seat cushion by raising and lowering the pan frame 2 suspended between the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1.

[0037] This link device 100 is disposed between a pair of left and right side frames 1, 1, and a link frame 20 is rotatably attached to a connecting frame 10 that connects the pair of left and right side frames 1, 1. Since no processing is performed on the side frame 1 for attaching the link frame 20, there is no reduction in rigidity as occurs with the lower frame of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. In other words, the tilt device 100 of this embodiment has a structure that makes it difficult to reduce the rigidity of the side frame 1 and the seat frame F including the side frame 1, and therefore can be used preferably without reducing the rigidity of the frame that constitutes the seat.

[0038] In addition, this tilt device 100 has a structure in which the other end 20b of a pair of left and right link frames 20 is rotatably attached to a connecting frame 10 that connects a pair of left and right side frames 1, 1, the motor 31 of the drive unit 30 is rotatably attached to a tilt frame 41 that is approximately parallel to the connecting frame 10 and arranged below the connecting frame 10, and a drive bracket 33 arranged on the drive shaft 32 of the drive unit 30 is attached to the connecting member 21 that connects the pair of left and right link frames 20, and since the drive unit 30 is supported by the tilt frame 41 and the connecting frame 10, the rigidity for supporting the drive unit 30 that operates this tilt device 100 is improved.

[0039] In addition, this tilt device 100 is equipped with bracket bodies 42 arranged in pairs on both ends of the tilt frame 41 to support the tilt frame 41, and since the bracket bodies 42 are fixed to the seat frame F that constitutes the seat, the rigidity for supporting the drive unit 30 that operates the tilt device 100 is further improved.

[0040] In addition, in this tilt device 100, the intermediate portion 20c between one end 20a and the other end 20b of the link frame 20 is formed in a downwardly curved shape where the motor 31 is arranged, so that the link frame 20 has a roughly hat shape when viewed from the side, and both ends of the connecting member 21 that connects the link frames 20 together are connected to the intermediate portion 20c of the link frame 20. As a result, the amount of rotation of the link frame 20 by the drive unit 30 can be increased, and the link frame 20 can be rotated suitably. In addition, the middle portion 20c of the link frame 20 is formed in a downwardly curved shape, so that the link frame 20 has a roughly hat shape when viewed from the side, thereby improving the vertical rigidity of the link frame 20 as it rotates up and down.

[0041] In addition, in this tilt device 100, the connecting member 21 that connects the link frames 20 together is a pipe-shaped member, and the drive shaft bracket 33 of the drive unit 30 is attached so as to circumferentially cover at least a portion of the outer surface of the pipe-shaped connecting member 21, thereby improving the rigidity of that portion and making it possible to preferably apply the driving force of the drive unit 30 to the connecting member 21 (link frame 20) and preferably receive the load applied to the drive unit 30 (drive shaft bracket 33) via the connecting member 21.

[0042] In this way, the tilt device 100 of this embodiment is attached to the seat frame F in a structure that does not reduce the rigidity of the side frame 1, and the rigidity for supporting the drive unit 30 that operates the tilt device 100 and the rigidity of the link frame 20 are improved, so that the tilt device 100 can be operated well and used preferably.

[0043] The application of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Side frame 2 Pan Frame 10 Connecting Frame 20 Link Frame 20a One end 20b Other end 20c middle part 21 Connecting members 30 Drive unit 31 Motor 32 Drive shaft 33 Drive shaft bracket 33a Support shaft 40 Tilt bracket 41 Tilt Frame 42 Tilt bracket body 43 Motor bracket 44 Connecting bracket 100 Tilt device Seat frame, front

Claims

1. A tilt device that raises and lowers a frame that is suspended between a pair of left and right side frames that constitute a seat, a link frame having one end portion fixed to the frame and the other end portion rotatably attached to a connecting frame connecting the pair of left and right side frames; a drive unit that rotates the link frame to switch a position of the frame between a close position close to the pair of left and right side frames and a distant position away from the pair of left and right side frames; Equipped with The drive unit includes a motor, a drive shaft rotated by the motor, and a drive shaft bracket arranged to be threadably advanced and retreated along the drive shaft, An intermediate portion between one end and the other end of the link frame is formed in a downwardly curved shape in which the motor is disposed, The link frames are arranged in a pair on the left and right, and a connecting member connecting the pair of left and right link frames is provided in the intermediate portion, the motor is disposed on a tilt bracket disposed between the pair of left and right side frames so as to be rotatable about an axial direction which corresponds to an extension direction of the connecting frame, and the drive shaft bracket is attached to the connecting member with a tip end of the drive shaft directed toward an opposite side of the tilt bracket, A tilt device characterized in that one end side of the link frame is raised as the drive shaft bracket is moved toward the tip side of the drive shaft, and one end side of the link frame is lowered as the drive shaft bracket is moved toward the base end side of the drive shaft.

2. The tilt bracket includes a tilt frame that is substantially parallel to the connecting frame and disposed below the connecting frame, 2. The tilt device according to claim 1, wherein the motor is disposed on the tilt frame via a motor bracket that axially supports the motor so that the motor can rotate.

3. The tilt brackets are provided with bracket bodies arranged in pairs on both ends of the tilt frame and supporting the tilt frame, The tilt device according to claim 2, wherein the bracket body is fixed to a seat frame that constitutes the seat.

4. 4. The tilt device according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the connecting member are connected to the intermediate portion of the link frame.

5. the connecting member is a pipe-shaped member, The tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the drive shaft bracket is attached so as to cover at least a portion of a peripheral surface of the connecting member in a circumferential direction.

6. The tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the connecting member is connected to a front of the intermediate portion.

7. 7. The tilt device according to claim 1, wherein the link frame is generally hat-shaped in side view.

8. The tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that when the frame is lowered to a close position close to the pair of left and right side frames, the lower end of the intermediate portion is positioned below the upper end of the drive unit and above the lower end of the drive unit.

9. The tilt device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a portion of the drive portion is disposed rearward of the intermediate portion.

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