Seat arrangement switching device

Abstract

To provide a sheet arrangement switching device capable of easily performing switching processing from long arrangement of sheet arrangement to cross arrangement and switching processing from the cross arrangement to the long arrangement.SOLUTION: Switching can be made to cross arrangement (C) by following the steps of forward slide processing for making a turntable pedestal 5 move to slide from a long position to a cross position by a slide mechanism 6; and cross rotation processing for making a seat frame 3 rotate at a prescribed angle from a reference angle after the forward slide processing, and switching can be made to long arrangement (L) by following the steps of long rotation processing for rotating the seat frame 3 to the reference angle; and backward slide processing for making the turntable pedestal 5 move to slide from the cross position to the long position by the slide mechanism 6 after the long rotation processing. The smallest clearance S(C) between a sheet body 1 and a side wall T of a vehicle during the cross arrangement (C) is set to the same degree as the smallest clearance S(L) during the long arrangement (L).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat arrangement switching device applicable to passenger facilities, particularly to seats in railway vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, arrangement switching devices have been known and put to practical use for switching the seat arrangement in vehicles such as railway cars between a long arrangement, in which the back support surfaces of the seat backs are oriented approximately parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a cross arrangement, in which the back support surfaces are oriented approximately parallel to the width direction of the vehicle (a direction approximately perpendicular to the direction of travel).Compared to the cross arrangement, the long arrangement provides more space for standing passengers and aisles, making it suitable for use when the vehicle is crowded.On the other hand, compared to the long arrangement, the cross arrangement provides a more comfortable ride because passengers are less likely to be swayed sideways during acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, making it suitable for use when the vehicle is not crowded.

[0003] A known device that can switch between such a long arrangement and a cross arrangement is equipped with a rotation mechanism for rotating the seat, a slide mechanism that slides the center of rotation of the rotation mechanism to a long position closer to the side wall of the vehicle when in the long arrangement, and to a cross position away from the side wall of the vehicle when in the cross arrangement, and slides the center of rotation of the rotation mechanism to a rotation-allowed position further away from the side wall of the vehicle from the cross position when rotating the seat, and a control unit that controls the rotation mechanism and slide mechanism to perform a process of switching from the long arrangement to the cross arrangement and a process of switching from the cross arrangement to the long arrangement (see Patent Document 1 below).

[0004] Specifically, when switching from the long arrangement to the cross arrangement, the procedure discloses a process in which the rotation center of the rotation mechanism is slid by the slide mechanism from the long position past the cross position to a rotation-allowed position, the seat is rotated by the rotation mechanism, and the rotation center of the rotation mechanism is slid by the slide mechanism from the rotation-allowed position to the cross position. That is, when switching from the long arrangement to the cross arrangement, if the seat is rotated with the rotation center of the rotation mechanism positioned at the long position or the cross position, the seat (backrest and armrests) will interfere with the side wall of the vehicle, so the rotation center of the rotation mechanism is slid to the rotation-allowed position and finally to the cross position, which is closer to the side wall than the rotation-allowed position, thereby minimizing the dead space between the seat and the side wall of the vehicle.

[0005] The above patent document also discloses a processing procedure for switching from a cross arrangement to a long arrangement, in which the rotation center of the rotation mechanism is slid from the cross position to a rotation allowable position using a slide mechanism, the seat is rotated using the rotation mechanism, and the rotation center of the rotation mechanism is slid from the rotation allowable position to the long position using the slide mechanism. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-052545 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, with the above-described configuration, when switching the seat arrangement, it was necessary to go through a processing procedure in which the center of rotation of the rotation mechanism was slid from the long position or cross position to the rotation-allowed position, the seat was rotated, and then the center of rotation of the rotation mechanism was slid back to the cross position or long position.

[0008] The present invention has been made in response to these problems, and its main purpose is to provide a seat arrangement switching device that can simplify the process of switching the seat arrangement from a long arrangement to a cross arrangement, and vice versa. Note that the present invention is a technology that can be applied not only to railway vehicles but also to vehicles such as buses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] That is, the present invention relates to a seat arrangement switching device that includes a seat body having at least a backrest and a seat portion, a fixed base fixed to the floor of a vehicle, a seat frame that supports the seat body, a turntable that rotates the seat frame, a turntable support base that rotatably supports the turntable, and a slide mechanism that slides the turntable support base back and forth in the width direction of the vehicle relative to the fixed base, and is configured to be switchable between a long arrangement in which the backrest surface of the backrest is approximately parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a cross arrangement in which the backrest surface is approximately parallel to the width direction of the vehicle. The seat body in the present invention is intended to be one that can be seated by multiple users, and a suitable example is a two-seater seat body.

[0010] The seat arrangement switching device according to the present invention includes an outward sliding process in which, in the long arrangement, the turntable support base is slid by a sliding mechanism from the long position, which is the position in the long arrangement, to a cross position closer to the center in the width direction of the vehicle, and after the outward sliding process, the turntable slides the seat frame by a predetermined angle ( In the positive or negative direction (approximately 90 degrees) cross rotation processing Two-step process By passing through this, it is possible to switch from a long arrangement to a cross arrangement, and in the cross arrangement, the seat frame is rotated by the turntable to the reference angle. Approximately 90 degrees in the positive or negative direction a long rotation process in which the turntable support is rotated, and a return slide process in which the turntable support is slid from the cross position to the long position by a slide mechanism after the long rotation process; Two-step process By passing through this, it is possible to switch from a cross arrangement to a long arrangement, The seat body has a generally rectangular shape in plan view, and the four corners of the seat body in plan view are cut into a predetermined oblique shape that fits within the rotation range of the seat body during cross rotation processing and long rotation processing,The minimum gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle when in the cross arrangement is set to be approximately the same as the minimum gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle when in the long arrangement.

[0011] With this seat arrangement switching device according to the present invention, the seat arrangement can be switched from the long arrangement to the cross arrangement through the minimum number of processes of two steps, an outward sliding process and a cross rotation process, and the seat arrangement can be switched from the cross arrangement to the long arrangement through the two steps of a long rotation process and a return sliding process, thereby simplifying the switching process. Moreover, with the seat arrangement switching device according to the present invention, the smallest gap (minimum gap) between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle in the cross arrangement is set to be approximately the same as the smallest gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle in the long arrangement, so that the seat arrangement can be switched between the long arrangement and the cross arrangement in two steps, while still narrowing the dead space that occurs between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle.

[0012] difference Furthermore, in the seat arrangement switching device of the present invention, the seat body is approximately rectangular in plan view, and the four corners in plan view are cut into a predetermined diagonal shape that fits within the rotation range of the seat body during cross rotation processing and long rotation processing, thereby effectively preventing the seat body from interfering with other seat bodies or the side walls of the vehicle during cross rotation processing and long rotation processing.

[0013] In particular, in the present invention, if the process of sliding the turntable holder using the slide mechanism (forward slide process, return slide process) and the process of rotating the seat frame using the turntable (cross rotation process, long rotation process) can be performed only by manual operation, complex mechanical control is not required, compared to a configuration in which the sliding movement of the turntable holder using the slide mechanism and the rotation of the seat frame using the turntable are performed by automatic control, and the possibility of malfunction is reduced, thereby enabling cost reduction.In addition, the more seats there are to be switched between seat arrangements, the fewer manual operations are required when switching the seat arrangement, thereby reducing the overall effort required for the switching work and shortening the switching work time.In particular, the seat arrangement switching device of the present invention is suitable for installation in vehicles in which the seat arrangement is changed infrequently between the long arrangement and the cross arrangement.

[0014] Furthermore, when the seat body in the present invention is equipped with a back frame that forms the skeleton of the back support portion, the frame shape of the part of the back frame that is relatively far from the rotation center of the seat body during long rotation processing and cross rotation processing can be set to a shape that brings it closer to the rotation center of the seat body, thereby making it possible to set the rotation diameter (maximum outer circumference) of the seat body small during long rotation processing and cross rotation processing.

[0015] In the present invention, if a turntable support that rotatably supports the turntable is provided with a turntable base plate that supports the turntable in its central portion and a slider that contacts the seat frame in priority to other portions of the turntable base plate and slides against the seat frame, rotating integrally with the turntable, the slider that contacts the seat frame can maintain a stable support state for the seat frame, ensuring good load-bearing capacity, and the slider's sliding contact with the seat frame can smoothly perform cross rotation processing and long rotation processing, which require the turntable to rotate the seat frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, a seat arrangement switching device can be provided that can switch from a long arrangement to a cross arrangement, or from a cross arrangement to a long arrangement, in a two-step process, thereby simplifying the switching operation and reducing the dead space between the seats and the vehicle side walls when in the long arrangement and cross arrangement. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a long arrangement state in a seat arrangement switching device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] A view taken in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 and illustrating a cross arrangement state by the seat arrangement switching device according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] A view seen from the direction of arrow A in Figure 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a seat frame base plate in the same embodiment. [Figure 6] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing a turntable and a turntable support in the embodiment; [Figure 7] This is a diagram of the rotation lock pin and its surrounding parts extracted from Figure 1. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the relative positional relationship of each part included in the height region from the fixed leg base to the seat frame base plate in FIG. 1. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 8 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a state in which the turntable support is positioned at the cross position and the seat frame is at the reference angle. [Figure 12] 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 10 showing a cross arrangement state by the seat arrangement switching device according to the embodiment; [Figure 13] View from the direction of arrow B in Figure 1. [Figure 14] View from the direction of arrow B in Figure 3. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the maximum outer circumference of the seat body in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment is applicable to vehicles such as railway cars, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a seat body 1 having at least a backrest portion 11 and a seat bottom portion 12, a fixed base 2 fixed to the floor F of the vehicle, a seat frame 3 supporting the seat body 1, a turntable 4 for rotating the seat frame 3, a turntable support 5 for rotatably supporting the turntable 4, and a slide mechanism 6 for sliding the turntable support 5 reciprocally in the width direction W of the vehicle relative to the fixed base 2. This seat arrangement switching device X can switch the seat arrangement between the long arrangement (L) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the cross arrangement (C) shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The long arrangement (L) is a seat arrangement in which the back contact surface 11a of the backrest portion 11 is oriented approximately parallel to the traveling direction D of the vehicle, and the long arrangement (L) is a seat arrangement in which the back contact surface 11a of the backrest portion 11 is oriented approximately parallel to the width direction W of the vehicle.

[0020] The fixed base 2 is configured in the shape of a hollow rectangular box, and has an opening 2a on the surface facing the center in the width direction W of the vehicle, through which a rotation lock release pedal 73 (described later) can be advanced and retreated (see FIG. 2).

[0021] The seat body 1 of this embodiment is, for example, for two-seater use and has two sets of backrest portions 11 and seat portions 12. The backrest portion 11 and seat portion 12 are each made of, for example, polyurethane foam molded products shaped into a suitable shape for a backrest or a seat, with at least the surfaces visible from the outside covered with an appropriate fabric (for example, polyester moquette). In particular, in this embodiment, the back frame 13 forming the skeleton of the backrest portion 11 is composed of a head support frame portion 14 that supports the head of the seated occupant and a back frame main body portion 15 that supports the upper body (excluding the head) of the seated occupant. In the following description of the seat body 1, regardless of whether it is in the long arrangement (L) or cross arrangement (C), the direction directly facing the backrest portion 11 is defined as the front-to-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction in the same plane is defined as the left-to-right width direction.

[0022] The back frame main body 15 includes left and right vertical frames 16, 17 and a horizontal frame 18 connecting the upper ends of the left and right vertical frames 16, 17. Of the left and right vertical frames 16, 17, the vertical frame 16 (hereinafter referred to as the "inner vertical frame 16") that is relatively closer to the center of the left and right width of the seat main body 1 has a straight shape that extends straight without inclining in the left and right width direction when the backrest 11 is viewed from directly in front, and its upper end is continuous with one end of the horizontal frame 18. The inner vertical frame 16 has a shape that gradually slopes upward and backward from its lower end to a predetermined height position (in the illustrated example, a height position about three-quarters of the inner vertical frame), and the remaining portion up to its upper end is a shape that extends straight up.

[0023] On the other hand, the vertical frame (hereinafter referred to as the "outer vertical frame 17") that is relatively far from the center of the left-right width direction of the seat main body 1 comprises a lower straight portion 171 set in a region from its lower end to a predetermined height position (in the illustrated example, a height position of about one-quarter of the outer vertical frame), an inclined portion 172 set in a region from the upper end of the lower straight portion 171 to a predetermined height position (in the illustrated example, a height position of about three-quarters of the outer vertical frame), and an upper straight portion 173 set in a region from the upper end of the inclined portion 172 to the horizontal frame 18, and the shape of the inclined portion 172 is set to a shape that extends upward at a predetermined angle gradually approaching the inner vertical frame 16. Therefore, the upper straight portion 173 of the outer vertical frame 17 is positioned closer to the inner vertical frame 16 than the lower straight portion 171. The lower straight portion 171 and the upper straight portion 173 have a straight shape that extends straight without inclination in the left-right width direction when the backrest portion 11 is viewed from the front, and are parallel to the inner vertical frame 16. In this embodiment, of both end portions of the horizontal frame 18, the end portion 181 on the outer vertical frame 17 side is set to a shape that protrudes a predetermined distance in a direction away from the center of the left-right width direction of the seat body 1 (outward) beyond the upper straight portion 173 of the outer vertical frame 17, but does not protrude outward beyond the lower straight portion 171. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the end portion of this horizontal frame 18 (the protruding end portion 181 of the horizontal frame 18) is set to a shape that is gradually inclined forward toward the outside.

[0024] Similar to the inner vertical frame 16, the outer vertical frame 17 has a section from its lower end to a predetermined height position (in the illustrated example, this is a height position that is about three-quarters of the height of the inner vertical frame, and a height position corresponding to the upper end of the inclined portion 172) that is gradually inclined rearward toward the top, and the remaining section up to the upper end (upper straight portion 173) is set to a shape that extends straight upward. In this embodiment, the outer vertical frame 17 and the horizontal frame 18 are integrally connected by a fixing means such as welding with the upper end of the upper straight portion 173 in contact with the horizontal frame 18 from below.

[0025] The polyurethane foam back mold 11M covering the spine frame 13 is a molded product corresponding to the shape of the spine frame 13, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 13 (FIG. 13 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1). In particular, the polyurethane foam back mold 11M of this embodiment is designed so that the shape of the portion covering the protruding end portions 181 of the outer vertical frames 17 and the horizontal frames 18 is asymmetrical with the shape of the portion covering the other end portions of the inner vertical frames 16 and the horizontal frames 18, corresponding to the shapes of the protruding end portions 181 of the outer vertical frames 17 and the horizontal frames 18. Specifically, the intersection of the back surface 11Ma and the side surface 11Mb on the outer vertical frame 17 side of the spine polyurethane foam mold 11M is designed as a diagonally cut surface 11Mc (a shape in which the width gradually decreases toward the back surface). The shape of the back support surface 11a when viewed from the front of the back support portion 11 is uniform on both sides. That is, the above-mentioned obliquely cut surface 11Mc is set so as not to reach the surface of the back support portion 11 on which the user actually rests (back support surface 11a).

[0026] The seat frame 3 is a frame structure that supports the seat body 1. The width direction dimension of the seat frame base frame 31, which functions as a base of the seat frame 3, is approximately the same as the distance (external dimension) between the vertical frames (outer vertical frames 17) on both the left and right sides of the back frame 13 when viewed from the entire seat body 1. The vertical frames (inner vertical frames 16, outer vertical frames 17) of the back frame 13 are arranged in an upright position rising diagonally backward at a predetermined angle from near the rear edge of the seat frame base frame 31. The seat portion 12 of this embodiment includes a seat polyurethane foam mold 12M arranged to cover the entire seat frame 3 from above. As shown in FIG. 13 , the intersection of the front surface 12Ma of the seat polyurethane foam mold 12M and the surfaces (outer surfaces) 12Mb corresponding to the left and right sides when viewed from the entire seat body 1 is set to a diagonally cut shape (a shape in which the width dimension gradually decreases toward the front surface 12Ma).

[0027] In the seat arrangement switching device X of this embodiment, a seat body 1, each consisting of two sets of back support portions 11 and seat bottom portions 12, is supported by a common seat frame 3. As shown in FIG. 13 , the entire two-seater seat body 1 supported by the common seat frame 3 has four corners of the seat body 1 in a plan view, i.e., the intersections of the back surface 11Ma of the back polyurethane foam mold 11M and the side surface 11Mb on the outer vertical frame 17 side, and the intersections of the front surface 12Ma and the outer surface 12Mb of the seat polyurethane foam mold 12M, all of which are cut diagonally to form cut surfaces 11Mc and 12Mc. By providing the diagonal cut surfaces 11Mc and 12Mc at the four corners of the seat body 1 in a plan view, the maximum outer circumference 1C (turning range, maximum seat rotation trajectory) of the seat body 1 of this embodiment can be made smaller than in a configuration in which the diagonal cut surfaces 11Mc and 12M are not provided at the four corners of the seat body 1 in a plan view. The seat body 1 of this embodiment also includes armrests 19. The armrests 19 of this embodiment are shaped to fit within the inner area of the maximum outer periphery circle 1C when the seat body 1 is rotated. The shapes and dimensions of the parts that make up the seat body 1 (backrest 11, seat 12, armrests 19) can be changed as appropriate within the range that satisfies the condition that they fit within the inner area of the maximum outer periphery circle 1C when the seat body 1 is rotated, which is a preset condition.

[0028] The seat arrangement switching device X of this embodiment is provided with rattle prevention parts 32 (seat frame side rattle prevention parts 32) on both left and right edge parts of the seat frame base frame 31, which are capable of coming into contact with the rattle prevention parts 22 (leg stand side rattle prevention parts 22) of the fixed leg stand 2 in the height direction when in the cross arrangement (C) (see Figs. 2, 3 and 12). The seat frame side rattle prevention part 32 comprises a plate part 323 integrally having an upright piece 321 formed by bending a flat plate material into an L shape and a stopper piece 322 extending horizontally from the lower end of the upright piece 321, and a reinforcing piece 324 provided in an area spanning the upright piece 321 and the stopper piece 322 to reinforce the plate part 323. In this embodiment, when switching from the long arrangement (L) to the cross arrangement (C), a portion of the stopper piece 422 that faces the pad 225 (a resin slider with a smooth downward surface) of the stool-side rattle prevention part 22 in the height direction is temporarily removed, and the edge of the removed portion is chamfered. Then, in the cross arrangement (C), the stopper piece 322 of the seat-frame-side rattle prevention part 32 faces the pad 225 of the stool-side rattle prevention part 22 from below and is set to contact or be close to the pad 225 in the height direction. Note that all or part of the stopper piece 322 of the seat-frame-side rattle prevention part 32 protrudes laterally beyond both the left and right edges of the seat frame base frame 31.

[0029] 1, 3, 8, 10 to 12, the base-side rattle prevention unit 22 is fixed to a predetermined position of the fixed base 2 near the side wall T of the vehicle, and includes a flat base 221, an upright portion 222 rising upward from the front end of the base 221, a forward protruding portion 223 protruding forward from the upper end of the upright portion 222, a reinforcing portion 224 provided in a position in contact with the upward surface of the base 221 and the back surface of the upright portion 222, and a pad 225 (a resin slider with a smooth downward surface) provided on the downward surface of the forward protruding portion 223. As shown in Fig. 8, which is a plan view of parts included in the height region from the fixed base 2 to the seat frame base plate 33 of the seat arrangement switching mechanism X shown in Fig. 1, the base 221 of the base-side rattle prevention unit 22 is fixed to the fixed base 2 by an appropriate fastener such as a bolt.

[0030] In the seat frame 3 of this embodiment, a seat frame base plate 33, which is separate from the seat frame base frame 31, is fixed to the downward surface of the seat frame base frame 31. With this seat frame base plate 33 placed on the turntable 4, the seat frame base plate 33 and the turntable 4 are fixed so that they cannot move relative to each other. With this configuration, when the turntable 4 rotates, the seat frame base plate 33, and therefore the entire seat frame 3, rotates integrally. The center of rotation of the seat frame base plate 33 coincides with the center 33C of the seat frame base plate 33.

[0031] As shown in Figure 5 (Figure (i) is a plan view of the seat frame base plate 33, and Figures (ii) and (iii) are views seen in the direction of the arrow A and the direction of the arrow B in Figure (i)), the seat frame base plate 33 has an opening in the center and is generally rectangular in shape when viewed from above, with predetermined locations (four locations in the illustrated example) around the opening fixed to the turntable 4. An overrun prevention pin 34 is fixed to a predetermined location on the seat frame base plate 33, and is positioned so as to protrude below the downward surface of the seat frame base plate 33. Therefore, the overrun prevention pin 34 rotates integrally with the seat frame base plate 33.

[0032] When the seat frame base plate 33, which can rotate integrally with the rotation of the turntable 4, is at a reference angle, which is the rotation angle in the long arrangement (L), the overrun prevention pin 34 is disposed on a line 33L (a line parallel to the width direction W of the vehicle) extending in a straight line from the rotation center 33C of the seat frame base plate 33 toward the side wall T of the vehicle (see FIG. 5(i)). When the seat frame base plate 33 rotates in the forward direction (plus direction) or the reverse direction (minus direction) from the reference angle, the overrun prevention pin 34 moves along a predetermined semicircular arc line integrally with the rotation of the seat frame base plate 33. Note that the rotation angle of the seat frame base plate 33 determines the rotation angle of the entire seat frame 3 and the rotation angle of the seat main body 1, and in the following description, the "rotation angle of the seat frame 3" and the "rotation angle of the seat main body 1" are synonymous with the rotation angle of the seat frame base plate 33.

[0033] Furthermore, a rotation lock pin positioning bush 35 is provided at a predetermined position on the seat frame base plate 33, into which the upper end of the lock pin 7 (rotation lock pin 7) that restricts the rotation of the turntable 4 can be inserted and removed. The rotation lock pin positioning bush 35 has an inner peripheral space into which the upper end of the rotation lock pin 7 can be inserted and removed, and in this embodiment, a rotation lock pin positioning bush 35 (long array lock pin positioning bush 35(L)) into which the upper end of the rotation lock pin 7 fits in when the long arrangement (L) is provided at an arbitrary position on an imaginary line 33L connecting the center 33C of the seat frame base plate 33 and the position of the overrun prevention pin 34, and a rotation lock pin positioning bush 35 (cross array lock pin positioning bush 35(C)) into which the rotation lock pin 7 fits in when the cross arrangement (C) is provided at a position rotated 90 degrees around the rotation center 33C of the seat frame base plate 33 from the position of the long array lock pin positioning bush 35(L) and at a position rotated minus 90 degrees (see FIG. 5(i)). These three rotation lock pin positioning bushes 35 are arranged at 90-degree intervals on the same radius, with the rotation center 33C of the seat frame base plate 33 as the center of the circle. In Figure 5(i), the area through which the rotation lock pin 7 passes when the seat frame base plate 33 is rotated (rotation lock pin passing line R7) is shown by a two-dot chain line. Note that the seat frame base plate 33 and the turntable base plate 51 of the turntable support 5, which will be described later, have openings formed in the center and other appropriate areas as lightening holes to reduce weight, but in each of the figures other than Figure 5(i), some or all of the openings formed in the seat frame base plate 33 and the turntable base plate 51 are omitted.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6 (FIG. 6(i) is a plan view of the turntable support 5 on which the turntable 4 is placed, and FIG. 6(ii) and FIG. 6(iii) are views taken in the direction of the arrow A and the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 6(i) respectively), the turntable 4 includes a ring-shaped turntable main body 41 and a ring-shaped turntable holder 42 that holds the turntable main body 41 on its inner periphery via a bearing so that the turntable main body 41 can rotate relatively. In this embodiment, the turntable holder 42 is fixed in a state in which it is placed on the turntable support 5, and the turntable main body 41 is set to be rotatable in either the forward or reverse direction on the inner periphery of the turntable holder 42. In this embodiment, the turntable main body 41 is fixed to the seat frame base plate 33 with the rotation center 4C of the turntable main body 41 and the center 33C of the seat frame base plate 33 aligned and with the upward surface of the turntable main body 41 in contact with the downward surface of the seat frame base plate 33 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0035] As shown in Figure 6, the turntable support 5 comprises a turntable base plate 51 that supports the turntable holding portion 42 placed on its upward surface, sliders 52 provided at multiple predetermined locations on the upward surface of the turntable base plate 51, a rotation lock pin guide bush 53 that has an inner space into which the rotation lock pin 7 can be inserted and that guides the protruding and retracting movement of the rotation lock pin 7 along the height direction, and an overrun stopper 54 that contacts an overrun prevention pin 34 provided on the seat frame base plate 33 to restrict the rotation angle of the seat frame base plate 33, i.e., the rotation angle of the turntable 4, within a predetermined range.

[0036] The turntable base plate 51 has a generally regular octagonal shape in plan view, with slider mounting spacers 55 arranged in a generally octagonal shape along its outer edge. A resin slider 52 with a smooth upward surface is fixed to each slider mounting spacer 55. In this embodiment, a total of 16 sliders 52 are arranged along imaginary lines of the generally regular octagonal shape in plan view. The turntable 4 is located in the central area surrounded by these sliders 52, and the turntable holder 42 of the turntable 4 is fixed to the turntable base plate 51 with an appropriate fastener (e.g., a screw). The upward surface of each slider 52 is set at a height position that contacts or is close to the downward surface of the seat frame base plate 33, prior to other parts of the turntable support pedestal 5. Note that the sliders 52 and some of the slider mounting spacers 55 are omitted in Figures 6(ii) and 6(iii).

[0037] The rotation lock pin guide bush 53 is provided in an upright position penetrating the turntable base plate 51 in the thickness direction at a position on the turntable base plate 51 where the rotation lock pin 7 moves forward and backward, and guides the forward and backward movement of the rotation lock pin 7 by means of an inner peripheral space penetrating it in the height direction. The rotation lock pin guide bush 53 is disposed at any position on an imaginary line 4L that extends parallel to the width direction W of the vehicle from the rotation center 4C of the turntable 4 (see Figure 6(i)).

[0038] The overrun stoppers 54 are provided at positions where they contact the overrun prevention pin 34 when it reaches the start position of the overrun prevention pin 34 passage line (overrun prevention pin passage line R34) on the upward surface of the turntable base plate 51, and at positions where they contact the overrun prevention pin 34 when it reaches the end position of the overrun prevention pin passage line R34, thereby restricting the overrun prevention pin 34 from moving beyond the start and end of the overrun prevention pin passage line R34. The overrun prevention pin passage line R34 is shown by a two-dot chain line in Figure 6(i). In this embodiment, the radius of the overrun prevention pin passage line R34, which is a semicircular arc with its center at the rotation center 4C of the turntable 4, is set to a value greater than the distance from the rotation center 4C of the turntable 4 to the rotation lock pin guide bush 53. In addition, in this embodiment, the upper end of the overrun stopper 54 is set lower than the upward surface of the slider 52, so that the overrun stopper 54 has priority over the slider 52 and does not come into contact with the downward surface of the seat frame base plate 33.

[0039] In this embodiment, the turntable base plate 51 has a rectangular base end, which is the end closest to the vehicle side wall T, in a plan view, and is provided with a brake block 56 at this base end with which the tip (lower end) of the overrun prevention pin 34 comes into contact (see Figures 6(i) and 6(iii)). The brake block 56 is a thin, flat plate that is larger than the downward surface of the turntable base plate 51 by the amount of its thickness, and is disposed in a predetermined area including the midpoint of the overrun prevention pin passing line R34. When the seat frame base plate 33 rotates and moves integrally in accordance with the rotation of the turntable 4, the overrun prevention pin 34 provided on the seat frame base plate 33 moves along the overrun prevention pin passing line R34, and the lower end of the overrun prevention pin 34 comes into contact with the brake block 56 in the area of the overrun prevention pin passing line R34 where the brake block 56 is located, while in the area of the overrun prevention pin passing line R34 where the brake block 56 is not located, the lower end of the overrun prevention pin 34 does not come into contact with any parts and is in a free state.

[0040] The turntable support 5, which mainly comprises such a turntable base plate 51, has the turntable base plate 51 placed and fixed on the slider body 61 of the slide mechanism 6, and moves back and forth in the width direction W of the vehicle as the slider body 61 slides.

[0041] 2, 3, and 9 (FIG. 9 is a view seen in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8, which is a plan view of parts of the seat arrangement switching mechanism X shown in FIG. 1 included in the height region from the fixed base 2 to the seat frame base plate 33), the slide mechanism 6 includes a slide rail 62 that is fixed while placed on the fixed base 2 and extends in the width direction W of the vehicle, a slider body 61 that is slidable along the slide rail 62, and a slide lock release lever 63 that can release a slide lock state that restricts the sliding movement of the slider body 61 relative to the slide rail 62. In this embodiment, the set of the slider body 61 and the slide rail 62 is provided at positions spaced a predetermined pitch apart in the traveling direction D of the vehicle, and is configured to be switchable to a slide lock release state that allows the slider body 61 to slide relative to the slide rail 62 based on an operating force on the slide lock release lever 63 shown in FIG. 1. The tip (operating part) of the slide lock release lever 63 is positioned in the space below the tip of the seat 12 so that the thighs of a seated user do not come into contact with the lever 63. In this embodiment, a slide stopper 22 is disposed at a predetermined location on the fixed base 2 near the side wall T of the vehicle, which comes into contact with the slider body 61 and prevents the slider body 61 from moving any further in a direction approaching the side wall T of the vehicle (see FIG. 8).

[0042] As shown in Figures 8 to 10 (Figure 10 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in Figure 8), the rotation lock pin 7, which locks the rotation of the turntable 4, is disposed in an upright position penetrating the internal space of a rotation lock pin guide bush 53 provided at a predetermined location on the turntable base plate 51, and as shown in Figure 7 (Figure 7(i) is an enlarged view of the rotation lock pin 7 and its peripheral parts extracted from Figure 1, and Figures 7(ii) and 7(iii) are views taken in the direction of arrow A and arrow B in Figure 7(i), respectively), its lower end is connected to one end (upper end) of a link 71 via a first horizontal connecting shaft 72. The other end (lower end) of the link 71 is connected to the base end (upper end) of a rotation lock release pedal 73 via a second horizontal connecting shaft 74, and the central portion of the link 71 is rotatably supported on a pedal bracket 75 via a third horizontal connecting shaft 76.

[0043] The pedal bracket 75 includes a flange 77 that is fitted to the downward surface of the turntable base plate 51, and a bracket body 78 that extends downward from the flange 77. The bracket body 78 supports the link 71 and the rotation lock release pedal 73 so that they can rotate individually around horizontal axes (third connecting horizontal axis 76 and fourth connecting horizontal axis 79). A spring receiving base 70 is fixed to the bracket body 78, and supports the lower end of a spring 7S (coil spring 7S) that is arranged in an area on the lower end side of the rotation lock pin 7. In this embodiment, a spring receiving washer 7W is fixed at a position closer to the upper side than the center of the rotation lock pin 7, and the spring 7S is arranged between the spring receiving washer 7W and the spring receiving base 70.

[0044] A footplate 731 is provided at the tip (lower end) of the rotation lock release pedal 73, and when an operating force is applied to step on the footplate 731 or when the operating force is released, the link 71 rotates around the third connecting horizontal shaft 76 as the base end of the rotation lock release pedal 73 moves, and the first connecting horizontal shaft 72, which is the pivotal part with the rotation lock pin 7, moves in the vertical direction. As a result, the rotation lock pin 7 moves forward and backward in the vertical direction.

[0045] Specifically, when the above-mentioned operating force is applied to the rotation lock release pedal 73, the rotation lock pin 7 moves downward (descends) against the biasing force of the spring 7S, and the upper end of the rotation lock pin 7, which had been housed in the inner circumferential space of the rotation lock pin positioning bush 35, is positioned below the inner circumferential space of the rotation lock pin positioning bush 35, thereby releasing the rotation lock state imposed by the rotation lock pin 7 (rotation unlocked state). On the other hand, when the operating force on the rotation lock release pedal 73 is released, the rotation lock pin 7 automatically rises due to the biasing force (elastic return force) of the spring 7S. Then, the upper end of the rotation lock pin 7 is housed in the inner circumferential space of the rotation lock pin positioning bush 35, thereby entering the rotation locked state.

[0046] When no operational force is applied by stepping on the rotation lock release pedal 73, the rotation lock pin 7 is housed in the inner peripheral space of the rotation lock pin positioning bush 35 provided at a predetermined location on the seat frame base plate 33, restricting the rotation of the seat frame base plate 33. On the other hand, when an operational force is applied by stepping on the pedal 73, the rotation lock pin 7 moves downward as described above, and therefore comes out of the inner peripheral space of the rotation lock pin positioning bush 35. As a result, the seat frame base plate 33 becomes rotatable.

[0047] Next, the method of use and the effects of the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment will be described.

[0048] In this embodiment, the long arrangement (L), which allows for more space for standing passengers and aisles, is set as the regular specification, and the arrangement is configured to switch from the long arrangement (L) to the cross arrangement (C) depending on the time of day when the vehicle is not crowded or the tourist season.

[0049] When the long arrangement (L) is adopted by the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment, the seat backrest 11 is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the traveling direction D of the vehicle, and the plurality of seat bodies 1 are arranged in a form lined up along the side wall T of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1 , the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment is configured so that in the long arrangement (L), the smallest gap (minimum gap S(L)) between the portion of the seat body 1 closest to the side wall T of the vehicle (the surface of the backrest 11 opposite the backrest surface 11a) and the side wall T of the vehicle is approximately 50 mm. In the cross arrangement (C), the rotation lock pin 7 fits into the long arrangement lock pin positioning bush 35(L) of the three rotation lock pin positioning bushes 35 provided on the seat frame base plate 33, restricting the rotation of the seat frame base plate 33 and thereby restricting the rotation of the seat body 1.

[0050] Furthermore, in the long arrangement (L), as long as the slide lock state of the slide mechanism 6 is maintained, the sliding movement of the turntable support 5 along the width direction W of the vehicle, and therefore the sliding movement of the seat body 1, can be restricted. In the long arrangement (L), the entire rotation lock release pedal 73 is housed in the internal space of the fixed base 2, so that the user cannot directly access the rotation lock release pedal 73 (see Figs. 1 and 10). Note that Figs. 8 to 10 show only the outer edge (outline) of the fixed base 2.

[0051] To switch from the long arrangement (L) to the cross arrangement (C), first, an outward sliding process is performed in which the slide mechanism 6 slides the turntable support 5 from the long position (the position of the turntable support 5 shown in FIG. 10 ), which is the position in the long arrangement (L), to the cross position shown in FIG. 11 , which is closer to the center in the width direction W of the vehicle. Specifically, a predetermined operating force, which in this embodiment is an upward lifting force, is applied to the slide lock release lever 63 to release the slide lock state of the slide mechanism 6, and the seat body 1 is pulled out toward the center in the width direction W of the vehicle. This pulling amount may be shorter than the pulling amount to the stroke end of the slide mechanism 6, or may be the same as the pulling amount to the stroke end of the slide mechanism 6. In this embodiment, the sliding distance from the long position to the cross position is set to approximately 190 mm.

[0052] As the outward sliding process proceeds, the rotation lock release pedal 73, link 71, and rotation lock pin 7, which are supported directly or indirectly by a pedal bracket 75 fixed to the turntable support base 5, move together with the turntable support base 5 toward the center of the vehicle's width direction W, and at the end of the outward sliding process, the tip of the rotation lock release pedal 73 is exposed to the outside of the fixed base 2, as shown in Figure 11.

[0053] Following the forward sliding process, as shown in Figure 14, a cross rotation process is performed in which the seat frame 3 is rotated by a predetermined angle (90 degrees) from the reference angle, which is the angle when in the long arrangement (L), by the turntable 4. Specifically, by applying an operating force by stepping on the rotation lock release pedal 73, the rotation lock pin 7 comes out of the long arrangement rotation lock pin positioning bush 35 (L) provided on the seat frame base plate 33, entering a rotation lock release state, and the entire seat frame 3 including the seat frame base plate 33, and ultimately the seat body 1, becomes rotatable. In this state, the seat body 1, which is at the reference angle, is rotated 90 degrees in the predetermined direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 13, if the position of the seat body 1 at the end of the outward sliding process is taken as "seat rotation position 1 (P)," in this embodiment, by providing diagonal cut portions 11Mc, 12Mc at the four corners of the seat body 1, which is approximately rectangular in plan view, the maximum outer circumference 1C (maximum turning diameter) of the seat body 1 is smaller than in a configuration in which such diagonal cut portions 11Mc, 12Mc are not provided, and when the seat body 1 is rotated at seat rotation position 1 (P) in which it is moved a short distance of less than 200 mm from its position in the long arrangement (L) in a direction away from the side wall T of the vehicle, it is possible to avoid the seat body 1 of the adjacent seat arrangement switching device X arranged at a predetermined pitch in the direction of travel D of the vehicle or the side wall T of the vehicle.

[0054] In the cross rotation process, when the force exerted on the rotation lock release pedal 73 is stopped (the foot is removed from the pedal 73), the rotation lock pin 7 moves upward due to the elastic return force of the spring 7S. In this embodiment, utilizing the automatic return function of the rotation lock pin 7, when the cross rotation process is performed, the force exerted on the rotation lock release pedal 73 is stopped and the automatic return function causes the upper end of the rotation lock pin 7 to abut the downward surface of the seat frame base plate 33. In this state, the seat body 1 is rotated in the same direction until the seat body 1 is rotated 90 degrees from the reference angle. The rotation lock pin 7 automatically engages with the cross-arrangement lock pin positioning bush 35(C), which is provided at a position rotated 90 degrees around the rotation center 33C of the seat frame base plate 33 from the position of the long-arrangement lock pin positioning bush 35(L), one of the three rotation lock pin positioning bushes 35 provided on the seat frame base plate 33, and the rotation lock state is established.

[0055] In particular, the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment is configured so that the overrun prevention pin 34 of the seat frame base plate 33 comes into contact with or comes close to the overrun stopper 54 provided on the turntable support 5 when the seat body 1 is rotated 90 degrees from the reference angle. This prevents the entire seat frame 3 including the seat frame base plate 33, and ultimately the seat body 1, from accidentally rotating to an angle exceeding 90 degrees from the reference angle. Note that the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment is configured so that the lower end of the overrun prevention pin 34 does not come into contact with the upward surface of the turntable base plate 51 during the cross rotation process. Therefore, compared to a mode in which the lower end of the overrun prevention pin 34 comes into contact with the upward surface of the turntable base plate 51, the operating force during the cross rotation process is lighter, allowing for smoother rotation.

[0056] According to the seat arrangement switching device X of this embodiment, when the cross rotation process is completed, the back rest surface 11a of the backrest portion 11 is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the width direction W of the vehicle, and the set of the backrest portion 11 and the seat bottom portion 12 of the seat main body 1 is arranged in a form that is aligned along the width direction W of the vehicle (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, when the cross rotation process is completed, the smallest gap (minimum gap S(C)) between the portion of the seat main body 1 closest to the vehicle side wall T (the side surface of the seat main body 1 closest to the vehicle side wall T among the multiple seat main bodies 1) and the vehicle side wall T is set to about 44 mm (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, in order to reduce the maximum outer periphery 1C of the seat main body 1 during the cross rotation process, the seat main body is set to have four corners of its approximately rectangular shape in a plan view that are obliquely cut away. When a plurality of seat arrangement switching devices X are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the traveling direction D of the vehicle and the outward sliding process and the cross rotation process are performed individually for each seat arrangement switching device X, the seat bodies 1 of adjacent seat arrangement switching devices X do not interfere with each other, and furthermore, after the cross rotation process is completed, there is no need to return the turntable holder 5 to the side wall T of the vehicle, and the gap S(C) between the seat body 1 and the side wall T of the vehicle can be made as small as possible.

[0057] Furthermore, even when the cross rotation process that follows the outbound sliding process involves rotating the seat frame 3 by minus 90 degrees from the reference angle, which is the angle when in long arrangement (L), the orientation of the seat body 1 can be switched to cross arrangement (C) based on the same or equivalent configuration as described above, so that a person sitting on the seat body 1 in cross arrangement (C) where the turntable 4 has been rotated by 90 degrees from the reference angle, which is the angle when in long arrangement (L), and a person sitting on the seat body 1 in cross arrangement (C) where the turntable 4 has been rotated by minus 90 degrees from the reference angle, which is the angle when in long arrangement (L), face the direction of travel D of the vehicle, or the backs of the people sitting on the seat bodies 1 face each other.

[0058] As long as the slide mechanism 6 is maintained in the slide-locked state, the sliding movement of the entire seat frame 3, and therefore the seat body 1, along the vehicle width direction W can be restricted. Each seat arrangement switching device X of this embodiment employs a seat body 1 having two pairs of backrest portions 11 and seat bottom portions 12. In the cross arrangement (C), the pair of backrest portions 11 and seat bottom portions 12 located relatively closer to the center of the vehicle width direction W is positioned toward the center of the vehicle width direction W relative to the fixed base 2. Therefore, when a user sits on the pair of backrest portions 11 and seat bottom portions 12 located relatively closer to the center of the vehicle width direction W, the seat body 1 may rattle. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12 , in the cross arrangement (C), the stopper piece 322 of the seat frame-side rattle prevention portion 32 is configured to face the pad 225 of the seat base-side rattle prevention portion 22 from below and come into contact with or be close to the pad 225 in the height direction, thereby preventing or suppressing rattle.

[0059] Furthermore, when switching from the cross arrangement (C) to the long arrangement (L), the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment first performs a long rotation process in which the seat frame 3 is rotated by the turntable 4 from the angle in the cross arrangement (C) (90 degrees or minus 90 degrees from the reference angle) to the reference angle. Specifically, by applying an operating force to the rotation lock release pedal 73, the rotation lock pin 7 is released from the cross arrangement lock pin positioning bush 35 (C) to enter a rotation lock release state. In this state, the entire seat frame 3, which is rotated 90 degrees or minus 90 degrees from the reference angle, and ultimately the seat main body 1, are rotated 90 degrees in a direction returning to the reference angle. In other words, the seat frame 3 and the seat main body 1 are rotated 90 degrees in the direction opposite to the rotation direction when switching from the long arrangement (L) to the cross arrangement (C). In this embodiment, when performing the long rotation process, the automatic return function of the rotation lock pin 7 is utilized, and the rotation lock is released and the seat body 1 is rotated, for example, by about 10 degrees from the angle in the cross arrangement (C) in the direction returning to the long arrangement (L), at which point the operating force applied to the rotation lock release pedal 73 is stopped, and the seat body 1 is rotated in the same direction with the upper end of the rotation lock pin 7 in contact with the downward surface of the seat frame base plate 33, and when the seat body 1 has been rotated to the reference angle, the rotation lock pin 7 automatically fits into the long arrangement lock pin positioning bush 35(L) of the three rotation lock pin positioning bushes 35 provided on the seat frame base plate 33, and the rotation is locked.

[0060] Furthermore, in the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment, when the rotation angle of the seat body 1 approaches the reference angle, the lower end of the overrun prevention pin 34, which had not been in contact with the upward surface of the turntable base plate 51 and was in a free state until then, comes into contact with the upward surface of the brake block 56 provided on the turntable base plate 51, and this contact state is maintained even when the rotation angle of the seat body 1 reaches the reference angle (see FIG. 11).

[0061] Following the long rotation process, a return slide process is performed in which the slide mechanism 6 slides the turntable support 5 from the cross position, which is the position in the cross arrangement (C), to a long position closer to the side wall T of the vehicle. Specifically, a predetermined operating force, in this embodiment an upward lifting force, is applied to the slide lock release lever 63 to release the slide lock state of the slide mechanism 6, and the seat body 1 is pushed in a direction closer to the side wall T of the vehicle. This pushing amount is the same as the pulling amount during the forward slide process. In this embodiment, the slider body 61 of the slide mechanism 6 is set to be able to be pushed to a position where it hits the slide stopper 22 provided on the fixed leg base 2.

[0062] As the return slide process proceeds, the rotation lock release pedal 73, link 71, and rotation lock pin 7, which are supported directly or indirectly by a pedal bracket 75 fixed to the turntable support base 5, move together with the turntable support base 5 in a direction approaching the side wall T of the vehicle, and at the end of the return slide process, the entire rotation lock release pedal 73 is housed inside the fixed base 2, as shown in Figures 1 and 10.

[0063] As described above, the seat arrangement switching device X of this embodiment can switch from the cross arrangement (C) to the long arrangement (L) through the long rotation process and the backward slide process.

[0064] As described above, the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment can switch the seat arrangement from the long arrangement (L) to the cross arrangement (C) through two steps, an outward sliding process and a cross rotation process, and can switch the seat arrangement from the cross arrangement (C) to the long arrangement (L) through two steps, a long rotation process and a return sliding process, thereby simplifying the switching process. Moreover, the seat arrangement switching device X according to this embodiment is set so that the minimum gap S(C) between the seat main body 1 and the vehicle side wall T in the cross arrangement (C) is approximately the same as the minimum gap S(L) between the seat main body 1 and the vehicle side wall T in the long arrangement (L) (a difference of 10 mm or less). Therefore, while the seat arrangement can be switched between the long arrangement (L) and the cross arrangement (C) through a two-step process, the dead space generated between the seat main body 1 and the vehicle side wall T can be reduced.

[0065] In particular, the seat arrangement switching device X of this embodiment is configured so that the process of sliding the turntable holder 5 using the slide mechanism 6 (forward slide process, return slide process) and the process of rotating the seat frame 3 using the turntable 4 (cross rotation process, long rotation process) can be performed only by manual operation, so compared to a mode in which the sliding movement of the turntable holder 5 using the slide mechanism 6 and the rotation of the seat frame 3 using the turntable 4 are performed by automatic control, complex mechanical control is not required, which can reduce costs, and the more seats there are to be switched in seat arrangement, the fewer manual operations are required when switching the seat arrangement, which can reduce the overall effort required for the switching work and shorten the switching work time.

[0066] In addition, the seat arrangement switching device X of this embodiment uses a turntable support 5 that rotatably supports the turntable 4, which includes a turntable base plate 51 that supports the turntable 4 in the center, and a slider 52 that comes into contact with the seat frame 3 (specifically, the seat frame base plate 33 that forms the base of the seat frame 3) prior to other parts of the turntable base plate 51 and slides against the downward surface of the seat frame 3 (the downward surface of the seat frame base plate 33) that rotates integrally with the turntable 4. Therefore, the contact of the slider 52 with the seat frame 3 makes it possible to maintain a stable support state for the seat frame 3, and the sliding contact of the slider 52 with the seat frame 3 makes it possible to smoothly perform cross rotation processing and long rotation processing, which require the turntable 4 to rotate the seat frame 3.

[0067] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the automatic return function of the rotation lock pin is used to cause the rotation lock pin to be accommodated in the rotation restriction portion (rotation lock pin positioning bush) of the seat frame and enter a locked state at the end of the cross rotation process and the long rotation process. However, a rotation lock pin without an automatic return function may be used, and the rotation lock pin may be accommodated in the rotation restriction portion by appropriate means or operation at the end of the cross rotation process and the long rotation process and enter a locked state.

[0068] Furthermore, the minimum gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle in the long orientation and the cross orientation can be configured to be an appropriate value different from the value described in the above embodiment. Note that the difference between the minimum gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle in the long orientation and the minimum gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle in the cross orientation is preferably 10 mm or less (for example, 5 mm or less), but even if the difference exceeds 10 mm, as long as it is 30 mm or less, the occurrence of unnecessary dead space in the cross orientation can be suppressed.

[0069] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given of a configuration in which the rotation lock pin is locked by being accommodated in the rotation restriction portion of the seat frame (seat frame base plate), but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the rotation lock pin is locked by coming into contact with or being accommodated in a part of the turntable (a configuration in which the turntable is directly locked).

[0070] The seat body supported by the seat frame may have three or more pairs of backrest and seat portion, or may have one pair of backrest and seat portion. In either case, the turning diameter of the seat body can be reduced by setting the frame shape of the part of the back frame that forms the skeleton of the backrest that is relatively far from the rotation center of the seat body during long rotation and cross rotation to a shape that brings it closer to the rotation center of the seat body, or by setting the four corners of the seat body in a plan view to a shape that is cut diagonally.

[0071] In addition, a seat arrangement in which the seat back is tilted at a predetermined angle relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle, such as a seat arrangement that allows passengers to view the window diagonally forward, can also be called a cross arrangement. In this case, the rotation angle of the seat frame when switching from the long arrangement to the cross arrangement can be set to an appropriate value other than 90 degrees relative to the reference angle, and an overrun prevention mechanism can be applied to restrict the rotation angle of the seat frame according to that value.

[0072] The operating part for unlocking the turntable may be a pedal, and the operating part for unlocking the slide mechanism may be a lever.

[0073] The present invention also includes a configuration in which all or any of the forward slide processing, cross rotation processing, backward slide processing, and long rotation processing is performed automatically by the control unit.

[0074] Furthermore, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1...Seat body 11...Backrest 12... Seat part 2…Fixed leg stand 3... Seat frame 4...Turntable 5...Turntable support 6...Slide mechanism 51...Turntable base plate 52...Slider X: Seat arrangement switching device

Claims

1. a seat arrangement switching device comprising: a seat body having at least a backrest portion and a seat portion; a fixed base fixed to the floor of a vehicle; a seat frame supporting the seat body; a turntable for rotating the seat frame; a turntable support base for rotatably supporting the turntable; and a slide mechanism for sliding the turntable support base back and forth in the width direction of the vehicle relative to the fixed base, the seat arrangement switching device being switchable between a long arrangement in which the backrest surface of the backrest portion is approximately parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a cross arrangement in which the backrest surface is approximately parallel to the width direction of the vehicle; In the long arrangement, the cross arrangement can be switched by undergoing two steps of processing: an outward sliding process in which the slide mechanism slides the turntable support from the long position, which is the position in the long arrangement, to a cross position closer to the center in the width direction of the vehicle; and a cross rotation process in which the turntable rotates the seat frame by approximately 90 degrees in a plus or minus direction from a reference angle, which is the angle in the long arrangement, by using the turntable after the outward sliding process. In the cross arrangement, the seat frame is rotated by approximately 90 degrees in the plus or minus direction by the turntable to the reference angle by a long rotation process, and the turntable support base is slid from the cross position to the long position by the slide mechanism after the long rotation process, so that the long arrangement can be switched to by a two-step process. The seat body has a generally rectangular shape in plan view, and the four corners of the seat body in plan view are cut into a predetermined oblique shape that fits within the rotation range of the seat body during the cross rotation process and the long rotation process, and the minimum gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle during the cross arrangement is set to be approximately the same as the minimum gap between the seat body and the side wall of the vehicle during the long arrangement, A seat arrangement switching device characterized by:

2. 2. The seat arrangement switching device according to claim 1, wherein the forward slide process, the cross rotation process, the backward slide process, and the long rotation process can be performed only by manual operation.

3. 3. The seat arrangement switching device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seat body has a back frame that forms the skeleton of the back support portion, and the frame shape of the part of the back frame that is relatively far from the rotation center of the seat body during the long rotation process and the cross rotation process is set to a shape that brings it closer to the rotation center of the seat body.

4. 4. A seat arrangement switching device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the turntable support comprises a turntable base plate that supports the turntable at its central portion, and a slider that contacts the seat frame preferentially over other portions of the turntable base plate and slides against the seat frame, rotating integrally with the turntable.

Images