Vehicle seats

Abstract

To provide a rotatable vehicle seat which can be rotated in a small space.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat 1 having a seat cushion 7 provided on a floor 2 of a vehicle and a seat back 8 provided on the seat cushion, in which the seat cushion is so provided as to be rotatable around plural rotation axes A, which extend in a substantially vertical direction, with respect to the floor. Between the floor and the seat cushion, it is preferably that a rotary device 4, which enables rotation around one rotation axis selected from the plural rotation axes and regulates rotation around the remaining axes, is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat to be mounted on a vehicle or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] A seat that is rotatably mounted on the floor of an automobile around an axis extending in a substantially vertical direction is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This seat can realize various seat arrangements suitable for occupants to talk with each other, take a break, or enjoy the scenery, depending on the rotation position of the seat. If this seat is applied to an autonomous vehicle, the driver's seat can also be arranged in various ways during autonomous driving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-97780 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The presence of vehicle structures such as doors, pillars, dashboards, and center consoles around the seat makes it difficult to secure space for seat rotation. In particular, the seat back protrudes rearward, making it difficult to avoid contact with the side walls of the vehicle interior. Therefore, there is a demand for a seat that can be rotated in a small space while avoiding contact with surrounding structures.

[0005] In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a rotatable vehicle seat that can be rotated in a small space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle seat (1) having a seat cushion (7) provided on a floor (2) of the vehicle and a seat back (8) provided on the seat cushion, characterized in that the seat cushion is provided rotatable relative to the floor around a plurality of rotation axes (A) extending in a substantially vertical direction.

[0007] According to this configuration, the vehicle seat can be moved to various positions by selecting one of the rotation axes and rotating it along that axis, which allows the vehicle seat to rotate in a small space while avoiding surrounding structures.

[0008] In addition, in the above aspect, a rotation device (4) may be provided between the floor and the seat cushion, which allows rotation around one of the rotation axes selected from the plurality of rotation axes, and restricts rotation around the remaining rotation axes.

[0009] According to this configuration, the vehicle seat can fix the rotation axis to one by the rotation device, and the rotation mode is restricted, allowing the vehicle seat to rotate smoothly.

[0010] In the above aspect, the rotation device may select the rotation axis that allows rotation depending on the rotation direction.

[0011] According to this configuration, the vehicle seat can be rotated so as to avoid surrounding structures by selecting the rotation axis depending on the rotation direction.

[0012] In addition, in the above aspect, the rotation axes may include a front rotation axis (A1, A2) located at the front portion of the seat cushion and a rear rotation axis (A3, A4) located at the rear portion of the seat cushion, and the rotation device may enable rotation of the seat cushion around the rear rotation axis when the front portion of the seat cushion rotates inward relative to the rear portion in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0013] With this configuration, the vehicle seat can avoid contact between the seat back and structures located outward in the vehicle width direction when the vehicle seat rotates inward.

[0014] In the above aspect, the rear rotation axis (A3) may be located inward in the width direction of the vehicle from the center of the seat cushion in the width direction.

[0015] With this configuration, the vehicle seat can further avoid contact between the seat back and structures located outward in the vehicle width direction when the vehicle seat rotates inward.

[0016] In addition, in the above aspect, the rotation axes include front rotation axes (A1, A2) located at the front portion of the seat cushion and rear rotation axes (A3, A4) located at the rear portion of the seat cushion, and the rotation device enables rotation of the seat cushion around the front rotation axis when the front portion of the seat cushion rotates outward relative to the rear portion in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0017] With this configuration, the vehicle seat can avoid contact between the front end of the seat cushion and structures located outward in the vehicle width direction when the vehicle seat rotates outward.

[0018] In addition, in the above aspect, the rotating device may have a plurality of rotating shaft units (17), each of which may include a lower rail (21) fixed to the floor and extending in a first horizontal direction, an upper rail (22) fixed to the seat cushion and extending in a second horizontal direction different from the first direction, a lower slider (23) slidably mounted on the lower rail, an upper slider (24) slidably mounted on the upper rail and rotatably connected to the lower slider about an axis extending in a substantially vertical direction, and regulating devices (25, 26) that selectively regulate movement of the lower slider relative to the lower rail and movement of the upper slider relative to the upper rail.

[0019] According to this configuration, it is possible to configure a rotation device that can select one of a plurality of rotation axes and rotate.

[0020] In addition, in the above aspect, the rotation device may have a plurality of rotation members (52, 53, 54) arranged vertically, a plurality of rotation shafts (55, 56) rotatably connecting the vertically adjacent rotation members, and a regulating device (57, 58) selectively regulating the rotation of the vertically adjacent rotation members.

[0021] According to this configuration, the rotation device that can select one of a plurality of rotation axes for rotation can be made to have a simple configuration.

[0022] Another aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a rotating device (71) including a lower rotating member (72) provided on a floor of a vehicle and an upper rotating member (73) provided on the lower rotating member so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a substantially vertical direction; a slide device (3) including a lower slide rail (12) connected to the upper rotating member and an upper slide rail (13) provided on the lower slide rail so as to be displaceable; a seat cushion (7) connected to the upper slide rail; and a seat back (8) provided on the seat cushion.

[0023] According to this configuration, even if there is one rotation axis, the seat cushion is displaced relative to the rotation axis, so that the position of the rotation center of the seat cushion can be changed.

[0024] In the above aspect, the rotation direction of the upper rotation member relative to the lower rotation member may be restricted depending on the position of the upper slide rail relative to the lower slide rail.

[0025] According to this configuration, by restricting the rotation direction in accordance with the rotation center position of the seat cushion, it is possible to prevent the seat cushion and the seat back from coming into contact with the vehicle structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle seat has a plurality of rotation axes, and can be moved to various positions by selecting and rotating one of the rotation axes, thereby allowing the vehicle seat to be rotated in a small space while avoiding surrounding structures.

[0027] In addition, in the above-mentioned aspect, by providing a rotation device that allows rotation around one rotation axis selected from multiple rotation axes and restricts rotation around the remaining rotation axes, the vehicle seat can fix the rotation axis to one, and the rotation pattern can be restricted to allow smooth rotation.

[0028] In addition, in the above-described aspect, by selecting a rotation axis that allows the rotation of the rotation device depending on the rotation direction, the vehicle seat can be rotated so as to avoid surrounding structures depending on the rotation direction.

[0029] In addition, in the above-described aspect, when the seat cushion rotates inward, the rotation device enables the seat cushion to rotate around the rear rotation axis, thereby avoiding contact between the seat back and structures located outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0030] In addition, in the above-described aspect, by positioning the rear pivot axis closer to the center of the vehicle in the width direction than the center of the seat cushion in the width direction, contact between the seat back and structures located outside in the vehicle width direction during inward pivoting can be further avoided.

[0031] In addition, in the above-described aspect, when the seat cushion rotates outward, the rotation device enables the seat cushion to rotate around the front rotation axis, thereby preventing the front end of the seat cushion from coming into contact with structures located outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] In addition, in the above aspect, by configuring the rotating device to have multiple rotating shaft units, it is possible to configure a rotating device that can select one rotation axis from multiple rotation axes and rotate about it.

[0033] In addition, in the above-mentioned aspect, by configuring the rotating device to have a plurality of rotating members, a plurality of rotating shafts that rotatably connect the rotating members, and a regulating device that selectively regulates the rotation of the rotating members, it is possible to provide a simple configuration for the rotating device that can select one rotation axis from a plurality of rotation axes and rotate about it.

[0034] Furthermore, by configuring the seat cushion to have a rotation device including a lower rotating member provided on the floor of the vehicle and an upper rotating member rotatably provided on the lower rotating member around a rotation axis extending in an approximately vertical direction, a slide device including a lower slide rail connected to the upper rotating member and an upper slide rail displaceably provided on the lower slide rail, a seat cushion connected to the upper slide rail, and a seat back provided on the seat cushion, even if there is only one rotation axis, the seat cushion is displaced relative to the rotation axis, and the position of the rotation center of the seat cushion can be changed.

[0035] In addition, in the above-described aspect, by configuring the rotation direction of the upper rotating member relative to the lower rotating member to be restricted depending on the position of the upper slide rail relative to the lower slide rail, contact between the seat cushion and the seat back and the vehicle structure can be avoided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seat according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a sliding device and a rotating device; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing one rotation shaft unit of the rotation device. [Figure 4] Block diagram showing the seat control system [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the rotational state of the seat when rotating inward and when rotating outward. [Figure 6] 10 is a side view of a seat according to a second embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a rotation device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] A side view of a seat according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 11A and 11B are explanatory views showing rotational states of a seat according to a third embodiment when rotated inward and outward, respectively; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] An embodiment in which the vehicle seat of the present invention is applied to an automobile seat will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, front, rear, left and right are defined based on the position of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat.

[0038] (First embodiment) As shown in Fig. 1, the seat 1 has a sliding device 3 provided on the upper surface of the floor 2 of the vehicle, a rotating device 4 provided above the sliding device 3, and a seat body 5 provided above the rotating device 4. The seat 1 may be a driver's seat, a passenger seat, or a rear seat. In this embodiment, the seat 1 is configured as a driver's seat located in the right front part of the vehicle interior.

[0039] The floor 2 extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The slide device 3 supports the turning device 4 and the seat body 5 on the floor 2 so that they can slide in a substantially horizontal direction relative to the floor 2. The turning device 4 is provided on the slide device 3 so that it can turn relative to the floor 2 around a plurality of turning axes extending in a substantially vertical direction, and supports the seat body 5 so that it can turn around the plurality of turning axes relative to the floor 2. The seat body 5 has a seat cushion 7 provided above the turning device 4 and a seat back 8 provided at the rear of the seat cushion 7.

[0040] 1 and 2, the slide device 3 has a pair of left and right slide rails 11 extending in the front-rear direction. Each slide rail 11 has a lower slide rail 12 and an upper slide rail 13 that are slidable relative to each other. The lower slide rail 12 extends in the front-rear direction and is connected to the upper surface of the floor 2. The upper slide rail 13 extends in the front-rear direction and is supported by the lower slide rail 12 so as to be displaceable in the front-rear direction. Each slide rail 11 has a locking device (not shown) that restricts the sliding movement of the upper slide rail 13 relative to the lower slide rail 12.

[0041] 2 and 3, the turning device 4 has a lower plate 15 and an upper plate 16 that face each other vertically, and four turning shaft units 17 interposed between the lower plate 15 and the upper plate 16. In this embodiment, there are four turning shaft units 17, but in other embodiments, there may be a plurality of turning shaft units 17, such as two or three. The lower plate 15 is a plate-like member with its surface facing up and down, and is connected to the upper portions of the left and right upper slide rails 13. The upper plate 16 is a plate-like member with its surface facing up and down, and is connected to the lower portion of the seat cushion 7.

[0042] The four pivot shaft units 17 are arranged at the front left, front right, rear left, and rear right between the lower plate 15 and the upper plate 16. Each pivot shaft unit 17 has a lower rail 21, an upper rail 22, a lower slider 23, an upper slider 24, a lower regulating member 25, and an upper regulating member 26.

[0043] The lower rail 21 is joined to the upper surface of the lower plate 15 and extends in a first direction in the horizontal direction. The lower rail 21 is fixed to the floor 2 via the lower plate 15 and the slide device 3. The upper rail 22 is joined to the upper plate 16 and extends in a second direction in the horizontal direction that is different from the extending direction (first direction) of the lower rail 21. The upper rail 22 is fixed to the seat cushion 7 via the upper plate 16. In this embodiment, the first direction in which the lower rail 21 extends is the front-rear direction, and the second direction in which the upper rail 22 extends is the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) that is perpendicular to the first direction. The upper rail 22 is arranged above the lower rail 21. When viewed from above, the upper rail 22 is arranged at a position that intersects with the lower rail 21.

[0044] Lower rail 21 has lower rail lower wall 21A joined to lower plate 15, a pair of lower rail side walls 21B protruding upward from both side edges of lower rail lower wall 21A, and a pair of lower rail upper walls 21C protruding toward each other from the upper ends of each lower rail side wall 21B. Lower rail lower wall 21A, the pair of lower rail side walls 21B, and the pair of lower rail upper walls 21C extend in a first direction, and a lower rail slit 21D extending in the first direction is formed between the pair of lower rail upper walls 21C.

[0045] Upper rail 22 has upper rail upper wall 22A joined to upper plate 16, a pair of upper rail side walls 22B protruding downward from both side edges of upper rail upper wall 22A, and a pair of upper rail lower walls 22C protruding toward each other from the lower ends of each upper rail side wall 22B. Upper rail upper wall 22A, the pair of upper rail side walls 22B, and the pair of upper rail lower walls 22C extend in the second direction, and an upper rail slit 22D extending in the second direction is formed between the pair of upper rail lower walls 22C.

[0046] Lower slider 23 passes through lower rail slit 21D and is engaged with the edges of a pair of lower rail upper walls 21C. Lower slider 23 is restricted from moving up and down by abutting against lower rail upper walls 21C, but is able to slide in the extension direction of lower rail 21 by moving within lower rail slit 21D.

[0047] The upper slider 24 passes through the upper rail slit 22D and is engaged with the edges of the pair of upper rail lower walls 22C. The upper slider 24 is restricted from moving up and down by abutting against the upper rail lower walls 22C, but is also able to slide in the extension direction of the upper rail 22 by moving within the upper rail slit 22D.

[0048] The upper end of the lower slider 23 is formed with a shaft portion 23A that protrudes vertically upward, and the lower end of the upper slider 24 is formed with a bearing hole 24A that is recessed vertically upward and has a circular cross section. A known slip-out prevention means such as a C-ring is provided on the shaft portion 23A and the bearing hole 24A. By rotatably receiving the shaft portion 23A in the bearing hole 24A, the lower slider 23 and the upper slider 24 are coupled to each other so that they can rotate about axes that extend vertically. The rotation axes of the lower slider 23 and the upper slider 24 are defined as rotation axes A (A1, A2, A3, A4) of the rotation shaft unit 17.

[0049] The lower regulating member 25 includes a lower engaging member 31 disposed inside the lower rail 21 between the lower end of the lower slider 23 and the lower rail lower wall 21A, a lower biasing member 32 interposed between the lower engaging member 31 and the lower rail lower wall 21A and biasing the lower engaging member 31 toward the lower slider 23, and a lower actuator 33 coupled to the lower engaging member 31 and moving the lower engaging member 31 toward the lower rail lower wall 21A against the biasing force of the lower biasing member 32. The upper regulating member 26 includes an upper engaging member 35 disposed inside the upper rail 22 between the upper end of the upper slider 24 and the upper rail upper wall 22A, an upper biasing member 36 interposed between the upper engaging member 35 and the upper rail upper wall 22A and biasing the upper engaging member 35 toward the upper slider 24, and an upper actuator 37 coupled to the upper engaging member 35 and moving the upper engaging member 35 toward the upper rail upper wall 22A against the biasing force of the upper biasing member 36. The lower biasing member 32 and the upper biasing member 36 may be a compression coil spring or a leaf spring.

[0050] The lower engagement member 31 engages with the lower surface of the lower slider 23, thereby restricting movement of the lower slider 23 relative to the lower rail 21. Teeth that mesh with each other may be formed on the contact surfaces of the lower engagement member 31 and the lower slider 23. The configurations of the upper engagement member 35 and the upper slider 24 are similar to the configurations of the lower engagement member 31 and the lower slider 23.

[0051] The lower actuator 33 and the upper actuator 37 may be, for example, solenoids. The lower actuator 33 has a main body 33A connected to the lower plate 15 and a drive shaft 33B that penetrates from the main body 33A through the lower rail lower wall 21A and is connected to the lower engagement member 31. The upper actuator 37 has a main body 37A connected to the upper plate 16 and a drive shaft 37B that penetrates from the main body 37A through the upper rail upper wall 22A and is connected to the upper engagement member 35.

[0052] When the pivot unit 17 is in the locked state, the lower actuator 33 is not driven, and the lower engagement member 31 biased by the lower biasing member 32 engages with the lower slider 23, restricting movement of the lower slider 23 relative to the lower rail 21. In addition, the upper actuator 37 is not driven, and the upper engagement member 35 biased by the upper biasing member 36 engages with the upper slider 24, restricting movement of the upper slider 24 relative to the upper rail 22. At this time, the lower slider 23 and the upper slider 24 can rotate relative to each other about the pivot axis A.

[0053] When the pivot unit 17 is in the unlocked state, the lower actuator 33 is driven, causing the lower engagement member 31 to move in a direction away from the lower slider 23 against the biasing force of the lower biasing member 32, thereby enabling the lower slider 23 to move relative to the lower rail 21. In addition, the upper actuator 37 is driven, causing the upper engagement member 35 to move in a direction away from the upper slider 24 against the biasing force of the upper biasing member 36, thereby enabling the upper slider 24 to move relative to the upper rail 22.

[0054] The turning device 4 can fix the position of the upper plate 16 relative to the lower plate 15 by locking all four turning shaft units 17. The turning device 4 can lock one turning shaft unit 17 selected from the four turning shaft units 17 and unlock the other three turning shaft units 17, thereby enabling the upper plate 16 to rotate relative to the lower plate 15 around the rotation axis A of the selected turning shaft unit 17. By unlocking all four turning shaft units 17, horizontal displacement and rotation of the upper plate 16 relative to the lower plate 15 becomes possible.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 4, the seat 1 has a control device 40. The control device 40 is an electronic control device equipped with a CPU, a memory, and a driver. An inward rotation switch 41 and an outward rotation switch 42, which allow the occupant to select the rotation direction of the seat 1, and the actuators 33, 37 of the four rotating shaft units 17 are connected to the control device 40. Here, inward rotation refers to the front end of the seat cushion 7 rotating inward in the vehicle width direction from its initial position, and outward rotation refers to the front end of the seat cushion 7 rotating outward in the vehicle width direction from its initial position.

[0056] While the inner rotation switch 41 and the outer rotation switch 42 are operated by the occupant, they output an ON signal to the control device 40. The inner rotation switch 41 and the outer rotation switch 42 are provided on the side of the seat cushion 7. The control device 40 controls the driving of each of the actuators 33, 37 of the four rotating shaft units 17 to independently lock or unlock the four rotating shaft units 17.

[0057] The control device 40 changes the locked and unlocked states of the four pivot shaft units 17 depending on whether either the inner rotation switch 41 or the outer rotation switch 42 is operated, whether the inner rotation switch 41 is operated, or whether the outer rotation switch 42 is operated.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the control device 40 does not receive an ON signal from either the inner rotation switch 41 or the outer rotation switch 42, it locks all of the rotation shaft units 17. This restricts the rotation of the rotation device 4, and the seat cushion 7 cannot be displaced relative to the floor 2.

[0059] Furthermore, while the control device 40 is receiving an ON signal from the internal rotation switch 41, it locks the rear-left rotating shaft unit 17 and unlocks the remaining front-left, front-right, and rear-right rotating shaft units 17. This enables the turning device 4 to turn about the rotation axis A3 of the rear-left rotating shaft unit 17, and the seat cushion 7 to turn relative to the floor 2 about the rotation axis A3 of the rear-left rotating shaft unit 17.

[0060] Furthermore, while receiving an ON signal from the outer rotation switch 42, the control device 40 locks the front right rotating shaft unit 17 and unlocks the remaining front left, rear left, and rear right rotating shaft units 17. This enables the turning device 4 to turn about the rotation axis A2 of the front right rotating shaft unit 17, and the seat cushion 7 to turn relative to the floor 2 about the rotation axis A2 of the front right rotating shaft unit 17.

[0061] The rotation axis A of the seat 1, which is the center of rotation, changes depending on whether the inner rotation switch 41 or the outer rotation switch 42 is operated. In other words, the rotation axis A that allows rotation can be selected depending on the rotation direction of the seat 1.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, when the inward rotation switch 41 is operated, the seat cushion 7 rotates about the rotation axis A3 of the rear left rotating shaft unit 17, thereby preventing contact between the seat back 8 and a passenger compartment side wall 45 located to the side of the seat 1. When the seat 1 is a driver's seat located in the front right portion of the passenger compartment, the passenger compartment side wall 45 is formed by the door, pillar, etc. located to the right of the seat 1. When the seat main body 5 rotates inward, the rotation axis A is selected to be the rotation axis A3 (or A4) located more rearward than the center of the seat cushion 7, thereby preventing contact between the seat main body 5 and the passenger compartment side wall 45. Furthermore, when the seat main body 5 rotates inward, it is more preferable that the rotation axis A is selected to be the rotation axis A3 located more rearward than the center of the seat cushion 7 and inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0063] When the outward rotation switch 42 is operated, the seat cushion 7 rotates about the rotation axis A2 of the front right rotating shaft unit 17, thereby preventing the front end of the seat cushion 7 from coming into contact with the vehicle interior side wall 45. When the seat main body 5 rotates outward, the rotation axis A2 (or A1), which is positioned forward of the center of the seat cushion 7, is selected, thereby preventing the seat main body 5 from coming into contact with the vehicle interior side wall 45.

[0064] (Second embodiment) The seat 50 according to the second embodiment differs from the seat 1 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of a rotation device 51. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the rotation device 51 includes a first plate 52, a second plate 53, and a third plate 54 arranged vertically, a first rotation shaft 55 extending vertically and rotatably connecting the first plate 52 and the second plate 53, a second rotation shaft 56 extending vertically and rotatably connecting the second plate 53 and the third plate 54, a first rotation restriction device 57 provided between the first plate 52 and the second plate 53, and a second rotation restriction device 58 provided between the second plate 53 and the third plate 54.

[0065] The first rotating shaft 55 is disposed at the front of the turning device 4 (at a portion forward of the center in the front-to-rear direction), and the second rotating shaft 56 is disposed at the rear of the turning device 4 (at a portion rearward of the center in the front-to-rear direction). Furthermore, the first rotating shaft 55 may be disposed closer to the interior of the vehicle than the center of the turning device 4 in the vehicle width direction, and the second rotating shaft 56 may be disposed closer to the exterior of the vehicle than the center of the turning device 4 in the vehicle width direction.

[0066] The first rotation restricting device 57 and the second rotation restricting device 58 are connected to and controlled by the control device 40. The first rotation restricting device 57 is a device that selectively restricts relative rotation between the first plate 52 and the second plate 53, and the second rotation restricting device 58 is a device that selectively restricts relative rotation between the second plate 53 and the third plate 54. The first rotation restricting device 57 and the second rotation restricting device 58 may have, for example, a solenoid and a connecting pin that moves forward and backward by the solenoid, and the connecting pin may connect adjacent plates together. Alternatively, the first rotation restricting device 57 and the second rotation restricting device 58 may be an electromagnetic clutch that connects adjacent plates together by magnetic force.

[0067] When the control device 40 receives an ON signal from the inner rotation switch 41, it locks the first rotation restricting device 57 and unlocks the second rotation restricting device 58. This restricts rotation about the first rotation axis 55 (rotation axis A5) and allows rotation about the second rotation axis 56 (rotation axis A6). When the control device 40 receives an ON signal from the outer rotation switch 42, it locks the second rotation restricting device 58 and unlocks the first rotation restricting device 57. This restricts rotation of the rotation device 51 about the second rotation axis 56 (rotation axis A6) and allows rotation about the first rotation axis 55 (rotation axis A5). When the control device 40 does not receive an ON signal from either the inner rotation switch 41 or the outer rotation switch 42, it locks the first rotation restricting device 57 and the second rotation restricting device 58. As a result, the rotation of the rotation device 51 is restricted.

[0068] In this embodiment, the rotating device 51 includes three rotating members, the first to third plates 52 to 54. However, in other embodiments, the number of rotating members may be four or more. Adjacent rotating members may be connected by a rotation shaft and a rotation restricting device. With this configuration, the number of selectable rotation shafts for the rotating device 51 can be increased.

[0069] (Third embodiment) The seat 70 according to the third embodiment differs from the seat 1 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the rotation device 71 and the arrangement of the slide device 3 and the rotation device 71. As shown in FIG. 8 , the rotation device 71 has a lower rotation member 72 provided on the floor 2 and an upper rotation member 73 provided on the lower rotation member 72 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis A7 extending substantially vertically. The lower rotation member 72 and the upper rotation member 73 are formed in the shape of plates with their surfaces facing up and down. The rotation axis A7 of the rotation device 71 is located substantially in the center of the rotation device 71 in a plan view. Each lower slide rail 12 of the slide device 3 is provided on the upper surface of the upper rotation member 73. A seat cushion 7 is provided at the upper end of each upper slide rail 13. Each slide rail 11 is arranged in the front and rear in an initial state.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 9 , a rotation direction restricting device 74 is provided between the upper rotating member 73 and the seat cushion. The rotation direction restricting device 74 has a restricting wall 75 provided on the upper surface of the upper rotating member 73, and a front stopper 76 and a rear stopper 77 protruding downward from the underside of the seat cushion 7. The restricting wall 75 extends radially in the front-rear direction about the rotation axis A7. The front stopper 76 is provided at the front end of the underside of the seat cushion 7, and the rear stopper 77 is provided at the rear end of the underside of the seat cushion 7. The front stopper 76 and the rear stopper 77 are disposed inward in the vehicle width direction from the restricting wall 75. The length of the restricting wall 75 in the front-rear direction is formed to be shorter than the distance between the front stopper 76 and the rear stopper 77.

[0071] In the seat 70, the slide device 3 allows the seat body 5 to slide relative to the turning device 71. This changes the relative position between the rotation axis A7 of the turning device 71 and the seat body 5. As shown in FIG. 9(A), by disposing the seat body 5 rearward with respect to the turning device 71 using the slide device 3, the rotation axis A7 can be disposed in front of the seat body 5. At this time, a front stopper 76 is disposed inside the front end of the restricting wall 75 in the vehicle width direction, and the front end of the restricting wall 75 comes into contact with the front stopper 76, thereby restricting the inward rotation of the seat cushion 7. As a result, the seat cushion 7 can only rotate outward.

[0072] As shown in Figure 9(B), by positioning the seat body 5 forward relative to the turning device 71 using the slide device 3, the turning axis A7 can be positioned rearward of the seat body 5. At this time, a rear stopper 77 is disposed inside the rear end of the restricting wall 75 in the vehicle width direction, and the rear end of the restricting wall 75 abuts against the rear stopper 77, thereby restricting the outward turning of the seat cushion 7. This allows only inward turning of the seat cushion 7. In this way, the turning direction of the upper turning member 73 relative to the lower turning member 72 is restricted depending on the position of the upper slide rail 13 relative to the lower slide rail 12.

[0073] Although the description of the specific embodiment has been completed, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be widely modified and implemented. The configurations of the rotation devices 4, 51, and 71 described above are examples and are not limited to these. The rotation device may have various structures as long as it allows rotation about one rotation axis selected from multiple rotation axes and restricts rotation about the remaining rotation axes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1, 50, 70: Sheets 2: Floor 3: Slide device 4, 51, 71: Rotating device 7: Seat cushion 8: Seat back 11: Slide rail 12: Lower slide rail 13: Upper slide rail 15: Lower plate 16: Upper plate 17: Rotating axis unit 21: Lower rail 22: Upper rail 23: Lower slider 24: Upper slider 25: Lower regulation member 26: Upper regulating member 31: Lower engagement member 32: Lower biasing member 33: Lower actuator 35: Upper engaging member 36: Upper biasing member 37: Upper actuator 40: Control device 41: Inner rotation switch 42: External rotation switch 45: Interior side wall 52: First plate 53: Second plate 54: Third Plate 55: First rotating shaft 56: Second rotating shaft 57: First rotation restriction device 58: Second rotation restriction device 72: Lower rotating member 73: Upper rotating member 74: Rotation direction control device A (A1 to A7): Rotation axis

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, a slide device provided on an upper surface of the vehicle floor; a rotation device provided on an upper portion of the slide device; a seat body provided on an upper portion of the rotating device, The seat body has a seat cushion and a seat back, The slide device has left and right slide rails extending forward and backward, the rotation device supports the seat body rotatably relative to the floor about a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction; the rotation device includes a plurality of rail units; The rail units are provided at intervals in the front-rear or left-right directions, A plate is coupled to the upper portion of the slide rail, The rail units are provided on the upper surface of the plate, Each of the rail units has a lower rail and an upper rail disposed above the lower rail, the upper rail is movable relative to the lower rail and is fixed relative to the seat cushion; the lower rail extends in an extending direction of the lower rail and opens upward, The vehicle seat, wherein the upper rail extends in an extending direction of the upper rail and opens downward.

2. The rail unit includes a plurality of rails, The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein each of the rails is shorter than the slide rail.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2 , wherein the rail units are spaced apart from one another on the upper surface of the plate.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of rail units include two rail units arranged at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the plate.

5. 5. The vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of rail units include two rail units arranged laterally and spaced apart above the plate.

6. 5. The vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein the two rail units spaced apart from each other in the front and rear are disposed on an upper surface of the common plate.

7. A vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, when viewed from above, the rail units are arranged at the front left, front right, rear left and rear right of the seat cushion.

8. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein left and right edge portions of the plate extend outwardly to the left and right beyond the plurality of rail units.

9. upper portions of the rail units are fixed to the seat cushion via upper plates; 9. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the upper plate is a plate-like member with surfaces facing up and down, and is joined to a lower portion of the seat cushion.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of the rail units are connected to a common upper plate.

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