Vehicle seats

Abstract

To obtain a vehicular seat which can inhibit significant deformation of a seat back frame when a large load is input to the seat back frame.SOLUTION: At a joint part 68 between a hinge bracket 40 and a seat back frame 26, the hinge bracket 40 overlaps with an inner side frame 26D and a lower frame 26B so as to hide outer shapes of a front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and a front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B. The structure increases an area of a portion where a joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40 and the inner side frame 26D and the lower frame 26B may contact with each other. When a large load is transmitted to the seat back frame 26 through the hinge bracket 40, the large load to be transmitted to the joint part 68 can be diffused. As a result, stress concentration can be inhibited at the seat back frame 26 and significant deformation of the seat back frame 26 can be inhibited.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 listed below discloses technology relating to an automobile seat back frame made of an aluminum alloy. In this prior art, one frame and the other frame in the seat back frame are joined at the joint by mechanical joining means such as rivets, screws, bolts, or tapping bolts. This improves the joint strength at the joint, and prevents large deformation of the seat back frame when a large load is input to the seat back frame during a vehicle collision, sudden braking, or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-17263 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a vehicle with a rear seat that is split in the vehicle width direction, a hinge is provided at the lower inside of the rear seat in the vehicle width direction, and the seat back is retractable via the hinge. The hinge is required to fasten or unlock the seat back frame to the vehicle body, and a bracket for the hinge is attached to the seat back frame. Therefore, when a large load is applied to the seat back frame, part of the large load is transmitted to the seat back frame via the bracket at the hinge.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that can suppress large deformation of the seat back frame when a large load is input to the seat back frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle seat of the invention described in claim 1 comprises a frame-shaped seat back frame that forms the skeleton of the seat back that supports the upper body of a seated occupant, and a bracket that is fixed to the vehicle body and is joined to the front or rear surface of the vertical and horizontal members that intersect at the corners of the seat back frame in a state where it overlaps the front or rear surface so as to hide the outline of the front or rear surface in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, wherein the bracket includes a fixed piece that is fixed to the vehicle body, a joining piece that is connected to the fixed piece and is positioned outside the seat back frame in the vehicle width direction and is joined to the seat back frame, a through hole formed in the joining piece, and a welded portion that is welded to the seat back frame through the through hole, and the through hole is provided at multiple positions along the extension direction of the vertical member. Furthermore, the through holes are also provided at positions overlapping the horizontal members, and the number of through holes provided on the vertical member side is greater than the number of through holes provided on the horizontal member side.

[0007] The vehicle seat according to the invention of claim 1 includes a seatback frame and a bracket. The seatback frame forms the framework of the seatback that supports the upper body of a seated occupant and is formed in a frame shape. The bracket is fixed to the vehicle body and joined to a corner of the seatback frame. Vertical and horizontal members intersect at the corner of the seatback frame, and the bracket is joined to the seatback frame in a state where it overlaps the front or rear of the vertical and horizontal members so as to hide the outline of the front or rear of the vertical and horizontal members in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0008] Note that the term "front or rear" here is used to include cases where the bracket is joined to the front of the seatback frame in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and cases where the bracket is joined to the rear of the seatback frame in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. In the former case, the bracket is joined to the front of the seatback frame while overlapping the front of the seatback frame so as to hide the outline of the front of the seatback frame. On the other hand, in the latter case, the bracket is joined to the rear of the seatback frame while overlapping the rear of the seatback frame so as to hide the outline of the rear of the seatback frame.

[0009] Here, as a comparative example, for example, when the outer shape of the front of the seatback frame (vertical and horizontal members) is not hidden at the corner (joint) between the bracket and the seatback frame, this refers to a case where the bracket covers only a portion of the front of the seatback frame, and the other portion of the front of the seatback frame protrudes (is exposed) beyond the outer edge of the bracket.

[0010] In the comparative example, the front surface of the seat back frame at the joint has both an area where the brackets overlap (are hidden) and an area where the brackets do not overlap (are exposed). Therefore, when a large load is transmitted to the seat back frame via the brackets, the large load is transmitted via the brackets to the area where the brackets overlap on the front surface of the seat back frame at the joint, but the large load is not transmitted directly to the area where the brackets do not overlap.

[0011] Therefore, when a large load is transmitted to the seatback frame via the bracket, stress is concentrated at the boundary on the front of the seatback frame between the area where the large load is transmitted and the area where it is not transmitted, and there is a possibility that the seatback frame will be significantly deformed starting from this boundary.

[0012] In contrast, in the present invention, the bracket overlaps the front surface of the seat back frame at the corner (joint) between the bracket and the seat back frame so as to hide (cover) the outline of the front surface of the seat back frame, thereby increasing the contact area between the bracket and the front surface of the seat back frame compared to the comparative example.

[0013] Therefore, in the present invention, when a large load is transmitted to the seat back frame via the bracket, the large load is transmitted at the joint over substantially the entire front surface of the seat back frame where the bracket overlaps.

[0014] In this way, in the present invention, the seat back frame can distribute a large load transmitted to the front surface of the seat back frame by increasing the contact area between the seat back frame and the bracket. As a result, in the present invention, it is possible to suppress the concentration of stress in the seat back frame and to suppress large deformation of the seat back frame. Note that the same effect can be obtained when the bracket is joined to the rear surface of the seat back frame in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction.

[0015] Here, "contactable" includes the case where the bracket and the seatback frame come into contact at least when a large load is input (transmitted), and in the state before a large load is input, the bracket does not necessarily have to be in surface contact with the seatback frame when the bracket overlaps the front surface of the seatback frame so as to hide the outer shape of the front surface of the seatback frame. The same applies to the case where the bracket is joined to the rear surface of the seatback frame in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0017] In addition, in the present inventionThe bracket is configured to include a fixed piece and a connecting piece, the fixed piece being fixed to the vehicle body, and the connecting piece being connected to the fixed piece and positioned outside the seat back frame in the vehicle width direction and connected to the seat back frame. In other words, by connecting the connecting piece to the front or rear surface of the seat back frame, the connecting piece overlaps the front or rear surface of the seat back frame so as to hide the outline of the front or rear surface of the seat back frame.

[0019] Also The bracket further includes a through hole and a welded portion, and the joining piece has a through hole formed therein, and the joining piece is welded to the seat back frame through the through hole (welded portion). Here, the through holes are provided at a plurality of positions along the extending direction of the vertical member. The "through hole" also includes a notch in which part of the hole is open.

[0020] As described above, in the bracket, the connecting piece is connected to the fixed piece, is positioned on the outer side of the seat back frame in the vehicle width direction, and is connected to the seat back frame. Therefore, when a large load is input to the seat back frame due to, for example, a vehicle collision (rear-end collision), the large load is transmitted from the vehicle body side via the fixed portion of the fixed piece to the connecting piece, and is then input (transmitted) to the seat back frame via the connecting piece.

[0021] In the present invention, a through hole is provided in a joining piece of the bracket, and a weld is provided in the through hole, thereby joining (welding) the bracket to the seat back frame. On the other hand, as a comparative example, a weld is provided on the outer edge of the bracket, and the bracket is joined to the seat back frame via the weld.

[0022] Because the through-hole is formed inside the outer edge of the bracket, the present invention allows the welded portion to be closer to the fixed portion (fixed piece) than the comparative example. In this way, the present invention allows the moment acting on the bracket during a vehicle collision to be smaller than the comparative example by the amount that the welded portion is closer to the fixed portion. Furthermore, in the present invention, the through holes are also provided at positions that overlap with the horizontal members, and the number of through holes provided on the vertical member side is greater than the number of through holes provided on the horizontal member side. The vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 2 is the vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 1, wherein the through hole provided on the lateral member side has a larger area than the through hole provided on the vertical member side. The vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 3 is the vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 1, wherein the through hole provided on the lateral member side is located further outward in the seat width direction than the through hole provided on the vertical member side.

[0023] Claim 4 The vehicle seat according to the invention described above is a vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 1, wherein the welded portion is formed continuously including opposing portions of the through hole.

[0024] Claim 4 In the vehicle seat according to the invention described above, the welded portion is formed continuously, including the opposing portions in the through hole, and therefore the weld length can be made longer compared to a comparative example in which the welded portion is provided in only a portion of the through hole (not including the opposing portions in the through hole).

[0025] As a result, in the present invention, the joint strength between the bracket and the seat back frame can be improved compared to the comparative example, and the welding area between the bracket and the seat back frame can be increased, making it possible to distribute the load transmitted from the bracket to the seat back frame in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0026] Claim 5 The vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 4 In the vehicle seat according to the invention described above, the welded portion has a closed shape.

[0027] Claim 5 In the vehicle seat according to the invention described above, the welded portion has a closed shape, so that the weld length can be longer than when the welded portion has an open shape.

[0028] This allows the joint strength between the bracket and the seat back frame to be further improved compared to when the shape of the weld is open, and also allows the welding area between the bracket and the seat back frame to be further increased, making it possible to further distribute the load transmitted from the bracket to the seat back frame in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0029] Claim 6 The vehicle seat according to the invention described in claims 1 to 5 5 In the vehicle seat according to any one of the above-mentioned inventions, the seatback frame is divided into two parts in the vehicle width direction and includes an inner skeletal member that is rectangular tubular and arranged along the seat height direction, and a lower skeletal member that is rectangular tubular and connected to the inner skeletal member and arranged along the seat width direction, and the joining piece that is joined to the seatback frame by the bracket includes an upper part that hides the front or rear side of the inner skeletal member in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a lower part that is formed below the upper part in the vehicle vertical direction and is formed so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction more than the upper part, hiding the front or rear side of the lower skeletal member in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0030] Claim 6 In the vehicle seat according to the invention described above, the seatback frame is divided into two parts in the vehicle width direction and includes an inner skeleton member and a lower skeleton member each having a rectangular cylindrical shape. The inner skeleton member is provided along the seat height direction, and the lower skeleton member is connected to the inner skeleton member and provided along the seat width direction.

[0031] On the other hand, the joint piece of the bracket is composed of an upper part formed on the top and bottom in the vertical direction of the vehicle, which hides the front or rear side of the inner skeletal member in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and a lower part which hides the front or rear side of the lower skeletal member in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the lower part of the joint piece is formed so that it protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction more than the upper part.

[0032] In other words, the lower part of the connecting piece has a larger contact area with the seat back frame than the upper part of the connecting piece. Increasing the contact area between the bracket and the front or rear of the seat back frame in this way makes it possible to distribute the large load transmitted to the front of the seat back frame during a vehicle collision. This makes it possible to suppress the concentration of stress on the seat back frame and to suppress large deformation of the seat back frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0033] As explained above, claims 1 to 3 According to the vehicle seat described in the above, when a large load is input to the seat back frame, large deformation of the seat back frame can be suppressed.

[0036] Claim 4 According to the vehicle seat described in the above, the welding length can be increased, and the load transmitted from the bracket to the seat back frame can be dispersed.

[0037] Claim 5 According to the vehicle seat described in the above, the welding length can be further increased, and the load transmitted from the bracket to the seat back frame can be further dispersed.

[0038] Claim 6 According to the vehicle seat described in the above, a large load transmitted to the front or rear surface of the seat back frame can be dispersed, and large deformation of the seat back frame can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view including a seat back frame of a rear seat to which a vehicle seat according to the present embodiment is applied. [Figure 2]2 is an enlarged view of a center hinge portion of the seat back frame shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a front view showing a bracket used in the center hinge portion shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 3A is a front view showing residual strain when a large load is input to the bracket and seat back frame shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a front view showing the state with the bracket removed. [Figure 7] 4 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 3 and shows a modification of the bracket shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a front view of a comparative example, corresponding to FIG. 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a front view of a comparative example, corresponding to FIG. 3. [Figure 10] 10(A) is a front view showing residual strain when a large load is input to the bracket and seat back frame shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 10(B) is a front view showing the state with the bracket removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Hereinafter, a rear seat 10 as a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that arrows FR, RH, and UP, which are appropriately shown in each drawing, indicate the forward direction, rightward direction, and upward direction of the rear seat 10, respectively. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions of the rear seat 10 coincide with the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions of the vehicle (automobile) in which the rear seat 10 is installed. Hereinafter, when the front-rear, left-right, top-bottom directions are simply used in the description, they refer to the front and back of the seat in the front-rear direction, the left and right of the seat in the left-right direction (seat width direction), and the top and bottom of the seat in the up-down direction.

[0041] <Vehicle seat configuration> First, the configuration of a rear seat to which the vehicle seat according to this embodiment is applied will be described.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a seatback frame 25 showing the framework of the seatback 11 of a rear seat 10. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the rear seat 10 is, for example, a second- or third-row seat and is a two- or three-seater seat. The rear seat 10 is divided into left and right halves, broadly divided into a right-side rear seat 12 provided on the right side and a left-side rear seat 14 provided on the left side. Note that the seatback frame 25 does not necessarily have to be divided into left and right halves.

[0043] The right rear seat 12 is equipped with a right seat cushion (not shown) that supports the thighs and waist of the seated occupant, and a right seatback 16 that is provided at the rear end of the seat cushion and supports the upper body of the seated occupant. Similarly to the right rear seat 12, the left rear seat 14 is equipped with a left seat cushion (not shown) that supports the thighs and waist of the seated occupant, and a left seatback 18 that is provided at the rear end of the seat cushion and supports the upper body of the seated occupant.

[0044] The right seat back 16 and the left seat back 18 are adjacent to each other in the left-right direction of the seat (vehicle width direction) and are rotatable independently of each other about an axis along the seat width direction. In this embodiment, the dimensional ratio of the right seat back 16 to the left seat back 18 in the vehicle width direction is set to, for example, 60:40.

[0045] A left headrest 20 is connected to the upper end of the left seatback 18 so as to be able to rise and fall. A right headrest 22 is connected to the upper right end of the right seatback 16 so as to be able to rise and fall, and a center headrest 24, which is disposed between the right headrest 22 and the left headrest 20, is connected to the upper left end of the right seatback 16 so as to be able to rise and fall. In the case of a two-seater seat, the center headrest 24 is not necessary.

[0046] (seat back) Here, we will explain the configuration of the right seatback 16. The left seatback 18 has substantially the same configuration as the right seatback 16, so the same components as those in the right seatback 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals and explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0047] The right-side seat back 16 includes a frame-shaped seat back frame 26 that constitutes the outer edge of the right-side seat back 16, and a plate-shaped seat back panel 28 attached to the back surface of the seat back frame 26. The seat back panel 28 is formed, for example, by press-molding a metal plate, and is attached to the back surface of the seat back frame 26 by means of welding or the like.

[0048] (seat back frame) In this embodiment, the seatback frame 26 includes an upper frame 26A, a lower frame (horizontal member, lower skeleton member) 26B, an outer side frame 26C, and an inner side frame (vertical member, inner skeleton member) 26D. Note that the right-side seatback 16 in this embodiment is further provided with a reinforcement 26E between the outer side frame 26C and the inner side frame 26D.

[0049] The outer side frame 26C, the reinforcement 26E, and the inner side frame 26D are welded to the upper frame 26A and the lower frame 26B, respectively. As a result, the upper frame 26A, the lower frame 26B, the outer side frame 26C, the reinforcement 26E, and the inner side frame 26D are integrated together to form the seatback frame 26.

[0050] The upper frame 26A is provided at the upper end of the seatback frame 26 along the seat width direction, and a pair of retaining members 30, 32 that hold the right headrest 22 and center headrest 24, which support the head of a seated occupant, are attached to the upper frame 26A, respectively.

[0051] The lower frame 26B is provided at the lower end of the seatback frame 26 along the seat width direction, and a reclining hinge portion 34 is attached to the lower frame 26B to rotate the right seatback 16 relative to a seat cushion (not shown).

[0052] The outer side frame 26C is arranged along the seat height direction on the outside of the seat back frame 26 in the vehicle width direction, and a locking bracket 36 is attached to the outer side frame 26C to fix it to the vehicle body side (not shown).

[0053] The inner side frame 26D is arranged along the seat height direction on the inside of the vehicle width direction of the seatback frame 26, and a center hinge portion 38 that allows the right seatback 16 to be folded down is provided on the inner side frame 26D side (described later).

[0054] In this embodiment, the upper frame 26A, the lower frame 26B, the outer side frame 26C, the inner side frame 26D, and the reinforcement 26E are each made of an aluminum alloy to reduce the weight of the seatback frame and for cost reasons. These frames use hollow square pipes, and when each frame is cut along the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a closed cross section is formed.

[0055] The shape of the seatback frame is not limited to a hollow structure (rectangular prism structure), and may be a cylindrical structure or a solid structure as long as it can ensure the strength and configuration required for the seatback frame. However, when the seatback frame is cylindrical or columnar, the shape of the joint piece 44 of the bracket 40 (described later) is formed in an arc shape so as to fit along the outer periphery of the seatback frame, although this is not shown in the figures.

[0056] Furthermore, the upper frame 26A and the lower frame 26B require higher rigidity than the outer side frame 26C, the inner side frame 26D, and the reinforcement 26E. For this reason, the width dimensions of the square pipes in the upper frame 26A and the lower frame 26B are set to be larger than those of the outer side frame 26C, the inner side frame 26D, and the reinforcement 26E.

[0057] In this embodiment, for example, the lower frame 26B requires higher rigidity than the outer side frame 26C, and the outer side frame 26C requires higher rigidity than the upper frame 26A. Furthermore, the upper frame 26A requires higher rigidity than the inner side frame 26D and the reinforcement 26E. For this reason, the width dimensions of the square pipes are set so that the lower frame 26B is largest, followed by the outer side frame 26C and then the upper frame 26A, and are smallest for the inner side frame 26D and the reinforcement 26E.

[0058] The material of the seat back frame is not limited to aluminum alloy, and as long as it can ensure the strength and rigidity required for the seat back frame, it goes without saying that non-ferrous metals other than aluminum alloy may also be used.

[0059] (Center hinge part) Here, the center hinge portion 38 will be described.

[0060] The center hinge portion 38 is provided with a hinge bracket (bracket) 40 that is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown) and joined to the seat back frame 26. The hinge bracket 40 is made of the same material as the seat back frame 26, which is an aluminum alloy in this embodiment.

[0061] 3, the hinge bracket 40 has a rectangular plate shape when viewed from the front, and includes a fixed piece 42 that is fixed to the vehicle body (not shown), and a joining piece 44 that is joined to the seat back frame 26. The fixed piece 42 and the joining piece 44 are arranged along the vehicle width direction, and as shown in FIG. 1, the joining piece 44 is provided on the outer side of the fixed piece 42 in the vehicle width direction.

[0062] 3 and 4, an inclined surface 46 is provided between the fixed piece 42 and the connecting piece 44. The inclined surface 46 slopes toward the rear of the vehicle as it extends from the connecting piece 44 to the fixed piece 42, and has an inflection point to smoothly connect the connecting piece 44 and the fixed piece 42. The inclined surface 46 positions the fixed piece 42 on the rear side of the connecting piece 44.

[0063] 3, two circular fixing holes 48, 50 are formed in the fixing piece 42 and arranged along the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, a bolt 52 can be inserted into each of the fixing holes 48, 50, and the fixing piece 42 is fastened (fixed) to a bracket (not shown) fixed to the vehicle body side via the bolt 52 and a nut 54 (fixing portion 55).

[0064] 3 and 5, a protrusion 56 is provided between the fixing holes 48 and 50, extending in an arc shape toward the front of the vehicle and along the vertical direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, a flange 58 that stands up toward the front of the vehicle is formed on the inner edge 42A of the fixing piece 42, which is located opposite the joining piece 44. By forming the protrusion 56 and the flange 58 in this way, the rigidity of the fixing piece 42 itself can be improved compared to when the fixing piece 42 is simply formed in a flat plate shape.

[0065] 3, the joining piece 44 is formed so that its width dimension D1 along the vehicle width direction is larger than the width dimension D3 of the fixing piece 42, and so that it protrudes downward beyond the lower edge portion 42B of the fixing piece 42. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower portion 44B of the joining piece 44 protrudes further toward the front of the vehicle than the upper portion 44A of the joining piece 44.

[0066] Specifically, between the upper portion 44A and the lower portion 44B of the joining piece 44, there is provided an inclined surface 60 that slopes toward the front of the vehicle as it moves from the upper portion 44A to the lower portion 44B, and has inflection points 60A and 60B to provide a smooth connection between the upper portion 44A and the lower portion 44B of the joining piece 44.

[0067] As described above, the lower frame 26B is configured so that the width dimension of the square pipes is larger than that of the inner side frame 26D. Therefore, the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B is located further forward of the vehicle than the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D. Because the inclined surface 60 is formed between the upper portion 44A and the lower portion 44B of the joint piece 44, the upper portion 44A of the joint piece 44 overlaps the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D in a surface-to-surface contact manner, and the lower portion 44B of the joint piece 44 overlaps the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B in a surface-to-surface contact manner.

[0068] 3, the flange portion 58 formed on the fixing piece 42 is formed continuously on the lower edge portion 44B1 of the joining piece 44. This improves the rigidity of the joining piece 44 itself. The lower portion 44B of the joining piece 44 is formed to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction more than the upper portion 44A of the joining piece 44.

[0069] Meanwhile, two through holes 62, 64 arranged along the up-down direction are formed in the upper part 44A of the joining piece 44. Furthermore, a through hole 66 is formed in the lower part of the joining piece 44. The through holes 62, 64 are generally rectangular with the longitudinal direction being the up-down direction, and the through hole 66 is generally pentagonal, like a triangle with the opposing apexes cut off.

[0070] 2, plug welding is performed through the through holes 62, 64, and 66. By this plug welding, the joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40 is joined (welded) to a joint (corner) 68 in the seat back frame 26 where the inner side frame 26D and the lower frame 26B are integrated by welding (welds 70, 72, and 74).

[0071] Welded portions 70, 72, 74 are welded in a generally U-shape, opening on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, following the shapes of through holes 62, 64, 66. In other words, welded portions 70, 72, 74 are formed continuously, including opposing portions in through holes 62, 64, 66 (for example, opposing portions 70A and 70B in welded portion 70). In addition to plug welding, fillet welding (welded portion 76) is also performed on joint 68.

[0072] Here, the width dimension D1 of the joining piece 44 is set to be larger than the width dimension D2 of the inner side frame 26D, and the vertical dimension H1 of the lower part 44B of the joining piece 44 is set to be larger than the width dimension (vertical dimension) H2 of the lower frame 26B.

[0073] Therefore, when the joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40 is welded to the joint 68 of the inner side frame 26D and the lower frame 26B, the hinge bracket 40 overlaps the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B at the joint 68 so that the outer shapes of the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B are hidden.

[0074] <Functions and Effects of Vehicle Seats> Next, the operation and effect of the rear seat 10 to which the vehicle seat according to this embodiment is applied will be described.

[0075] 1, in this embodiment, the seatback frame 26 is configured to include an upper frame 26A, a lower frame 26B, an outer side frame 26C, an inner side frame 26D, and a reinforcement 26E. At the joint 68 between the inner side frame 26D and the lower frame 26B, the hinge bracket 40 overlaps the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B so as to hide the outlines of the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B, as described above.

[0076] As a comparative example, Figures 8 and 9 show a case where the hinge bracket 100 only partially covers the outer shape of the seat back frame 104 at the joint 106 between the hinge brackets 100, 102 and the seat back frame 104.

[0077] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, a part of the front surface 104A1 of the lower frame 104A protrudes (is exposed) from the lower edge 100A of the hinge bracket 100. Also, as shown in Fig. 9, a part of the front surface 104B1 of the inner side frame 104B protrudes (is exposed) from the outer edge 102A of the hinge bracket 102.

[0078] That is, in the comparative example, as shown in Fig. 8, at the joint 106, the front surface 104A1 of the lower frame 104A has both an area where the hinge bracket 100 overlaps (is hidden) and an area where the hinge bracket 100 does not overlap (is exposed). As with the lower frame 104A, at the joint 106, as shown in Fig. 9, the front surface 104B1 of the inner side frame 104B has both an area where the hinge bracket 102 overlaps and an area where the hinge bracket 102 does not overlap.

[0079] Therefore, for example, when a large load is transmitted to the seat back frame 104 via the hinge bracket 102, the large load is transmitted via the hinge bracket 102 to the area where the hinge bracket 102 overlaps on the front surface 104B1 of the seat back frame 104 at the joint 106, but the large load is not directly transmitted to the area where the hinge brackets 100 and 102 do not overlap.

[0080] 10(A) and (B), for example, show the residual strain in the hinge bracket 102 and the seat back frame 104 when a large load is transmitted to the seat back frame 104 via the hinge bracket 102, with darker dots indicating greater strain. Note that FIG. 10(A) shows a state in which the hinge bracket 102 is joined to the seat back frame 104, and FIG. 10(B) shows a state in which the hinge bracket 102 has been removed. The same applies to FIGS. 6(A) and (B), which will be described later.

[0081] 10(A) and 10(B), when a large load is transmitted to the seat back frame 104 via the hinge bracket 102, stress is concentrated at a boundary Q between a portion of the front surface 104B1 of the seat back frame 104 where the large load is transmitted and a portion where the large load is not transmitted. For this reason, in the comparative example, although not shown, there is a possibility that the seat back frame 104 will be significantly deformed starting from the boundary Q.

[0082] In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, at the joint 68 between the hinge bracket 40 and the seat back frame 26, the hinge bracket 40 overlaps the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B so that the outlines of the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B are hidden.

[0083] Specifically, in this embodiment, the hinge bracket 40 is configured to include a fixed piece 42 and a connecting piece 44, the fixed piece 42 is fixed to the vehicle body side, and the connecting piece 44 is positioned outside the fixed piece 42 in the vehicle width direction, connected to the fixed piece 42, and connected to the seat back frame 26.

[0084] When the joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40 is joined to the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B, the joint piece 44 overlaps the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B so as to hide the outer shapes of the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B.

[0085] As a result, in this embodiment, the contact area between the joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40 and the front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B can be increased compared to the comparative example.

[0086] Therefore, in this embodiment, when a large load is transmitted to the seat back frame 26 via the hinge bracket 40, as shown in Figure 6(A), at the joint 68, the large load is transmitted over almost the entire front surface 26D1 of the inner side frame 26D and the front surface 26B1 of the lower frame 26B, where the hinge bracket 40 overlaps.

[0087] In this way, seatback frame 26 can distribute the large load transmitted to front surfaces 26D1 of inner side frames 26D and front surfaces 26B1 of lower frames 26B by increasing the area available for contact with hinge bracket 40. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6(B), stress concentration in seatback frame 26 can be suppressed, and large deformation of seatback frame 26 can be suppressed.

[0088] 2, the hinge bracket 40 is configured to include through holes 62, 64, 66 and welds 70, 72, 74. The joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40 has substantially rectangular through holes 62, 64, 66 formed therein, and the joint piece 44 is welded to the seat back frame 26 through the through holes 62, 64, 66 and via the welds 70, 72, 74.

[0089] As described above, in the hinge bracket 40, the connecting piece 44 is disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the fixed piece 42 that is fixed to the vehicle body. Therefore, for example, when a large load is input to the seat back frame 26 due to a vehicle collision, the large load is transmitted from the vehicle body side via the fixing portion 55 of the fixed piece 42 to the connecting piece 44, and the large load is input (transmitted) to the seat back frame 26 via the connecting piece 44.

[0090] In this embodiment, through holes 62, 64, 66 are formed in the joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40, and welds 70, 72, 74 are formed in the through holes 62, 64, 66, so that the hinge bracket 40 is joined (welded) to the seat back frame 26.

[0091] On the other hand, as a comparative example, as shown in FIG. 9, welds 108, 110, 112, and 114 are provided on an outer edge 102A of a hinge bracket 102, and the hinge bracket 102 is joined to a seat back frame 104 via the welds 108, 110, 112, and 114.

[0092] 2, through holes 62, 64, 66 are formed in the joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40, and the joint piece 44 is welded to the seat back frame 26 via welds 70, 72, 74 through the through holes 62, 64, 66. Because the through holes 62, 64, 66 are formed more inward than the outer edge 40A of the hinge bracket 40, in the present embodiment, the welds 70, 72, 74 can be positioned closer to the fixing portion 55 than in the comparative example.

[0093] In this way, in this embodiment, the welded portions 70, 72, 74 are located closer to the fixed portion 55, and accordingly, the moment generated in the hinge bracket 40 during a vehicle collision can be made smaller than in the comparative example. As a result, in this embodiment, the strain generated in the seat back frame 26 can be reduced.

[0094] It should be noted that plug welding is not necessarily required at the joint 68 between the hinge bracket 40 and the seat back frame 26, and fillet welding may be used. However, when fillet welding is used, it is not necessary to form the through holes 62, 64, 66 in the joint piece 44 of the hinge bracket 40.

[0095] In addition, in this embodiment, the lower portion 44B of the joining piece 44 is formed to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction more than the upper portion 44A of the joining piece 44. As a result, in this embodiment, the lower portion 44B of the joining piece 44 has a larger area that can come into contact with the seat back frame 26 than the upper portion 44A of the joining piece 44.

[0096] In this way, by increasing the contact area between the hinge bracket 40 and the seatback frame 26, it is possible to distribute the large load that is transmitted to the inner side frame 26D and the lower frame 26B of the seatback frame 26 during a vehicle collision. This makes it possible to suppress the concentration of stress in the seatback frame 26, and to suppress large deformation of the seatback frame 26.

[0097] In addition, in this embodiment, the through holes 62, 64, 66 are approximately rectangular, and the welded portions 70, 72, 74 are so-called open-shaped, that is, approximately U-shaped with an opening on the outer side in the vehicle width direction that follows the shape of the through holes 62, 64, 66, and are formed continuously including the opposing portions of the through holes 62, 64, 66.

[0098] As a result, in this embodiment, the weld length can be made longer than in a comparative example (not shown) in which a weld is provided in only a portion of the through hole (not including the opposing portion of the through hole).

[0099] Therefore, in this embodiment, compared to the comparative example, the joint strength between the hinge bracket 40 and the seatback frame 26 can be improved, and the welding area between the hinge bracket 40 and the seatback frame 26 can be increased, making it possible to distribute the load transmitted from the hinge bracket 40 to the seatback frame 26 in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0100] 7, the through holes 62, 64, 66 may be closed by the welds 78, 80, 82. Depending on the size of the through holes 62, 64, 66, the through holes 62, 64, 66 may be closed by the welds 78, 80, 82.

[0101] In this way, by forming the welds 78, 80, and 82 in a closed shape, the weld length can be made longer than when the welds are in an open shape, such as the welds 70, 72, and 74 shown in Figure 2. This further improves the joint strength between the hinge bracket 40 and the seatback frame 26.

[0102] Furthermore, by increasing the welding length, the welding area between the hinge bracket 40 and the seat back frame 26 can be further increased, which makes it possible to further distribute the load transmitted from the hinge bracket 40 to the seat back frame 26 in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0103] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the hinge bracket 40 used in the center hinge portion 38 has been described, but the present invention can be applied to a bracket joined to the seat back frame 26. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the hinge bracket 40. For example, the present invention may be applied to a locking bracket 36 for fixing to the vehicle body. Furthermore, the seat back frame 25 does not necessarily have to be divided into left and right halves.

[0104] In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 10 Rear seat (vehicle seat) 11 Seat back 12 Right rear seat (vehicle seat) 14 Left rear seat (vehicle seat) 16 Right seat back (seat back) 18 Left seat back (seat back) 25 Seat back frame 26 Seat back frame 26B1 Front 26B Lower frame (seat back frame, horizontal members, lower frame members) 26D Inner side frame (seat back frame, vertical members, inner frame members) 26D1 Front 40 Hinge bracket (bracket) 42 Fixing piece (bracket) 44 Joint piece (bracket) 44A Upper part (joint piece) 44B Lower part (joint piece) 62 Through hole 64 through holes 66 Through hole 68 Joint (corner) 70 Welded Section 72 Welded section 74 Welded Section 78 Welds 80 Welded Section 82 Welded parts

Claims

1. a seat back frame formed in a frame shape and forming a framework of the seat back that supports the upper body of a seated occupant; a bracket that is fixed to the vehicle body and is joined to the front or rear surface of the vertical member and the horizontal member that intersect at the corner of the seat back frame in a state where the bracket overlaps the front or rear surface in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction so as to hide the outer shape of the front or rear surface; Equipped with The bracket is a fixing piece fixed to the vehicle body side; a joining piece connected to the fixing piece, arranged on the outer side of the seat back frame in the vehicle width direction, and joined to the seat back frame; a through hole formed in the joining piece; a welded portion welded to the seat back frame through the through hole; The invention comprises: The through holes are provided at a plurality of positions along the extending direction of the vertical member, Furthermore, the through holes are also provided at positions that overlap with the horizontal member, and the number of through holes provided on the vertical member side is greater than the number of through holes provided on the horizontal member side.

2. A vehicle seat as described in Claim 1, wherein the through hole provided on the horizontal member side has a larger area than the through hole provided on the vertical member side.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the through-holes provided on the lateral member side are provided outward in the seat width direction than the through-holes provided on the vertical member side.

4. A vehicle seat as described in claim 1, wherein the welded portion is formed continuously, including opposing portions in the through hole.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein the welded portion has a closed shape.

6. The seat back frame is divided into two in the vehicle width direction, and an inner framework member having a rectangular cylindrical shape and provided along the seat height direction; a lower framework member having a rectangular cylindrical shape, connected to the inner framework member, and provided along the seat width direction; and The joining piece joined to the seat back frame in the bracket is an upper portion that hides a front or rear side of the inner framework member in the vehicle longitudinal direction; a lower portion formed below the upper portion in the vehicle up-down direction and formed to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction relative to the upper portion, and hiding a front or rear side of the lower framework member in the vehicle longitudinal direction; The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

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