Vehicle seats

Abstract

To effectively suppress a passenger from getting motion sickness.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat comprises a seat cushion, a seat back, a headrest, and a head support part having a pair of right and left support part bodies 50. A first angle θ1 is set to 37.2 to 143° and a second angle is set to 12.8 to 68.7°, where the first angle θ1 is the angle formed by the face of the left support part body 50 on the head side of a sitting passenger and the face of the right support part body 50 on the head side of the sitting passenger, and the second angle is the angle formed by the direction in which the pair of the right and left support part bodies faces and the vehicle front-rear direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a vehicle seat equipped with a mechanism for suppressing motion sickness in an occupant. The headrest of the vehicle seat described in this document includes a main portion supporting the rear of the occupant's head, a left portion connected to the left edge of the main portion so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the vertical direction, and a right portion connected to the right edge of the main portion so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the vertical direction. The headrest also includes a left drive device that rotates the left portion forward relative to the main portion and a right drive device that rotates the right portion forward relative to the main portion. When acceleration to the left occurs, the left portion is rotated forward by the left drive device, thereby restricting movement of the occupant's head to the left. When acceleration to the right occurs, the right portion is rotated forward by the right drive device, thereby restricting movement of the occupant's head to the right. In this way, the posture of the occupant's head is controlled, thereby suppressing motion sickness in the occupant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-59349 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, although the configuration described in Patent Document 1 is useful from the viewpoint of suppressing motion sickness in occupants, there is room for improvement in terms of effectively suppressing motion sickness in occupants.

[0005] In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that can effectively prevent motion sickness in an occupant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the vehicle seat includes a seat cushion that supports the buttocks of a seated occupant from below the seat, a seat back that supports the back of the seated occupant from the rear side of the seat, a headrest that supports the head of the seated occupant from the rear side of the seat, and a pair of left and right support body bodies that are provided on or around the headrest and are configured to support a portion of the seated occupant's head corresponding to the occipital bone from the left and right sides of the seat, and to support the portion from the rear side of the seat toward a forward direction and diagonally upward from the seat, wherein the angle formed by the surface of the left support body on the side of the seated occupant's head and the surface of the right support body on the side of the seated occupant's head is defined as a first angle, and the angle formed by the direction in which the pair of left and right support body bodies are pointed and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is defined as a second angle, the first angle is set in the range of 37.2° to 143° and the second angle is set in the range of 12.8° to 68.7°.

[0007] In the vehicle seat of the first aspect, the buttocks, back, and head of the seated occupant are supported by the seat cushion, seat back, and headrest. The portion of the seated occupant's head corresponding to the occipital bone is supported from the left and right sides of the seat by a pair of left and right support body parts of the head support part, and is also supported from the rear side of the seat toward the front and diagonally upward direction of the seat. This suppresses the swaying of the seated occupant's head, thereby reducing motion sickness in the seated occupant. Furthermore, a first angle, which is the angle between the surface of the left support body facing the seated occupant's head and the surface of the right support body facing the seated occupant's head, is set in the range of 37.2° to 143°. In addition, a second angle, which is the angle between the direction in which the pair of left and right support body parts are oriented and the vehicle longitudinal direction, is set in the range of 12.8° to 68.7°. This effectively reduces motion sickness in the seated occupant compared to a configuration in which the first angle and the second angle are set outside the above ranges.

[0008] A vehicle seat of a second aspect is the vehicle seat of the first aspect, further characterized in that the first angle is set in the range of 70.5° to 124.5° and the second angle is set in the range of 31.1° to 56.6°.

[0009] In the vehicle seat of the second aspect, the first angle is set in the range of 70.5° to 124.5° and the second angle is set in the range of 31.1° to 56.6°, thereby effectively suppressing motion sickness in seated occupants compared to a configuration in which the first angle and the second angle are set outside the above ranges.

[0010] A vehicle seat according to a third aspect is the vehicle seat according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a first angle adjuster that makes the first angle adjustable.

[0011] In the vehicle seat of the third aspect, the first angle adjuster is provided, so that the first angle can be adjusted in accordance with the physique of the seated occupant.

[0012] A vehicle seat according to a fourth aspect is the vehicle seat according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a second angle adjuster that makes the second angle adjustable.

[0013] In the vehicle seat of the fourth aspect, the second angle adjuster is provided, so that the second angle can be adjusted according to the physique of the seated occupant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The vehicle seat according to the present invention has the excellent effect of effectively suppressing motion sickness in the occupant. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view schematically showing a vehicle seat and an occupant seated in the vehicle seat; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the headrest, illustrating a state in which the pair of left and right support body parts are stored. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the headrest, illustrating a state in which a pair of left and right support body parts are partially pulled out from the headrest body part. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the headrest, illustrating a state in which the pair of left and right support body parts are usable. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a view of a pair of left and right support body parts as viewed from one axial side of a tilting shaft. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a rear view of the head seen from the rear side. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a side view of the head from the left side. [Figure 10] 10 is a graph showing test results. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] (Development background and purpose) First, the background and purpose of the development of a vehicle seat 10 (see FIG. 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0017] In recent years, with the advancement of automated driving in vehicles, there has been growing concern that motion sickness may become more severe during automated driving. It is known that motion sickness occurs due to a sensory discrepancy between the vestibular system and vision when the occupant's head sways. It is also known that motion sickness can be reduced by reducing the sensory discrepancy between the occupant's vestibular system and vision. Therefore, the objective of this development is to reduce motion sickness by suppressing the occupant's head sway, which is the cause of motion sickness.

[0018] (Configuration of the vehicle seat 10 of this embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle seat 10 of this embodiment includes a seat cushion 20 that supports the buttocks of a seated occupant P from below, a seatback 22 that supports the back of the seated occupant P from the rear, and a headrest 24 that supports the head P1 of the seated occupant from the rear. The seatback 22 is reclined in the front-rear direction relative to the seat cushion 20. This allows adjustment of a reclining angle θs of the seatback 22 relative to the seat cushion 20. Here, the reclining angle θs refers to the angle of inclination of the seatback 22 rearward relative to the up-down direction in a side view of the seat (when viewed from the left or right side). A dashed-dotted line L1 shown in FIG. 1 is a reference line for the reclining angle θs. This dashed-dotted line L1 corresponds to the surface of a backrest that constitutes the seatback 22. Here, the backrest surface refers to the central portion in the seat width direction of the surface of the seatback 22 that supports the lower back of the seated occupant P from the rear side of the seat. The reclining angle θs is measured when no passenger is seated in the vehicle seat 10.

[0019] The vehicle seat 10 also includes a head support portion 38 that supports a portion of the head P1 of the seated occipital bone that corresponds to the occipital bone. The head support portion 38 is configured to be able to support the portion of the head P1 of the seated occipital bone from the left and right directions of the seat. In addition, the head support portion 38 is configured to be able to support the portion of the head P1 of the seated occipital bone from the rear side of the seat toward the front and diagonally upward from the seat.

[0020] 2 to 4, the headrest 24 includes a headrest main body 40. The head support portion 38 is provided on the headrest main body 40.

[0021] A recessed storage section 40A that is open to the front side is formed in the center of the left and right sides of the lower end of the headrest main body 40. A pair of left and right support body bodies 50 that constitute part of the head support section 38 (described later) are configured to be stored inside this storage section 40A.

[0022] 5 and 6, the head support unit 38 includes a pair of left and right support body bodies 50 formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction, and a first angle adjustment unit 52 that connects the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 in the left-right direction. The pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are tiltable with the first angle adjustment units 52 as hinges.

[0023] Here, the first angle adjustment unit 52 of this embodiment is equipped with a mechanism that synchronizes the tilt angle of the left support body 50 relative to the first angle adjustment unit 52 and the tilt angle of the right support body 50 relative to the first angle adjustment unit 52 so that they are the same angle. The first angle adjustment unit 52 also has a mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a "first stopper mechanism") that maintains the tilt angles of the pair of left and right support bodies 50 relative to the first angle adjustment units 52 at desired angles.

[0024] The front faces 50A of the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are faces on the head P1 side of the seated occupant P and are formed in a flat shape. The pair of left and right support body bodies 50 tilt using the first angle adjuster 52 as a hinge, so that the front faces 50A of the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are bent in a V-shape. In addition, by operating the first stopper mechanism, it is possible to keep the front faces 50A of the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 bent in a V-shape.

[0025] The head support unit 38 also includes a base unit 54 fixed to the headrest main body 40 and a second angle adjuster 56 fixed to the front end of the base unit 54. The first angle adjuster 52 is fixed to the second angle adjuster 56. As a result, the pair of left and right support main bodies 50 and first angle adjusters 52 are supported by the base unit 54 via the second angle adjuster 56. The pair of left and right support main bodies 50 and first angle adjusters 52 are tiltable in the up and down direction with the second angle adjuster 56 as a hinge. The second angle adjuster 56 also includes a mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a "second stopper mechanism") that maintains the tilt angle of the pair of left and right support main bodies 50 and first angle adjusters 52 relative to the front-to-rear direction at a desired angle.

[0026] 5 and 7, the angle formed between the front surface 50A of the left support portion main body 50 and the front surface 50A of the right support portion main body 50 is defined as a first angle θ1. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, the angle formed between the direction F in which the pair of left and right support portion main bodies 50 are oriented and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is defined as a second angle θ2. Note that, as shown in Fig. 7, the direction F in which the pair of left and right support portion main bodies 50 are oriented refers to the direction in which a bisector L2 that passes through the tilt shaft 58 and bisects the first angle θ1 extends and toward the front of the seat, when viewed from one axial side of the tilt shaft 58 of the pair of left and right support portion main bodies 50.

[0027] 2, the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 can be stored in the storage section 40A of the headrest body body 40. When the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are stored in the storage section 40A of the headrest body body 40, the front faces 50A of the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are positioned on approximately the same plane as each other and as the front face of the headrest body body 40.

[0028] When using the pair of left and right support body bodies 50, the left and right ends of the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are pulled forward from inside the storage section 40A as shown in Fig. 3. In other words, the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are tilted from the state shown in Fig. 2.

[0029] Next, as shown in Fig. 4, the pair of left and right support body parts 50 are tilted obliquely upward from the seat, thereby making the pair of left and right support body parts 50 usable.

[0030] 1, 4, 8, and 9, when the portion of the head P1 of the seated occupant P that corresponds to the occipital bone is supported by the pair of left and right support body bodies 50, that is, when the portion of the head P1 of the seated occupant P that corresponds to the occipital bone P2 is positioned between the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 and is in contact with the front surfaces 50A of the pair of left and right support body bodies 50, the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 overlap in the left-right direction with the portion of the head P1 of the seated occupant P that corresponds to the occipital bone P2 in a side view of the seat (viewed from the left or right side). In addition, the shape and dimensions of the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are set so that the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 support only the portion of the head P1 of the seated occupant P that is rearward of the mastoid process P3.

[0031] Furthermore, when the portion of the head P1 of the seated occupant P corresponding to the occipital bone P2 is positioned between the pair of left and right support main bodies 50 and in contact with the front surfaces 50A of the pair of left and right support main bodies 50, the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 can be adjusted so that the contact pressure between the right region P4R corresponding to the occipital bone P2 of the head P1 of the seated occupant P and the right support main body 50 is increased, and the contact pressure between the left region P4L corresponding to the occipital bone P2 of the head P1 of the seated occupant P and the left support main body 50 is increased. The right region P4R and the left region P4L correspond to the left and right sides of the lower end of the occipital bone P2, respectively. The lower end of the occipital bone P2 refers to the portion of the occipital bone P2 below the superior nuchal line P5. When the head P1 of the seated occupant P is facing forward, the right region P4R and the left region P4L are located at the same height. Furthermore, the distance W between the right side region P4R and the left side region P4L in the left-right direction may be assumed to be approximately 90 mm to 120 mm, depending on the size of the head of the seated occupant P. If the shape and dimensions of the pair of left and right support portion main bodies 50 are set with this distance W in mind, it will be possible to accommodate seated occupants P of almost all physiques, including adult males and adult females.

[0032] (Actions and Effects of This Embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0033] In the vehicle seat 10 of the present embodiment described above, the buttocks, back, and head P1 of the seated occupant P are supported by the seat cushion 20, the seat back 22, and the headrest 24. Furthermore, a portion of the head P1 of the seated occupant P corresponding to the occipital bone P2 is supported from the left-right direction of the seat by the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 of the head support portion 38, and is also supported from the rear side of the seat toward the front and diagonally upward direction of the seat. This suppresses rocking of the head P1 of the seated occupant P, thereby suppressing motion sickness of the seated occupant P. Furthermore, by adjusting a first angle θ1, which is the angle between the front surface 50A of the left support body 50 and the front surface 50A of the right support body 50, and a second angle θ2, which is the angle between the direction F in which the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 are oriented and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, motion sickness of the seated occupant P can be effectively suppressed.

[0034] Incidentally, being able to allow the seated occupant P to use the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 of the head support portion 38 without feeling uncomfortable is important from the perspective of effectively reducing motion sickness of the seated occupant P. Therefore, the following test was conducted to determine the ranges of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 that allow the seated occupant P to use the pair of left and right support body bodies 50 of the head support portion 38 without feeling uncomfortable.

[0035] In this test, the vehicle seat 10 is repeatedly vibrated left and right between a position tilted 10° to the left and a position tilted 10° to the right in the vertical direction. The vibration frequency is 0.1 Hz. The test was conducted in the upright position shown in FIG. 1. The upright position refers to a riding position in which the seated occupant P can see ahead of the vehicle. As an example, in this test, the reclining angle θs of the seat back 22 was set to 23.2°.

[0036] The test was conducted on 10 subjects, and the BMI of the 10 subjects ranged from 18.7 to 29.4. BMI (Body Mass Index) is a body mass index calculated from weight and height, and is calculated as M / (L) where weight is M (kg) and height is L (m).2 ) is the value calculated using

[0037] In this test, the ranges of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 were measured when 10 subjects felt the following (1), (2), and (3). (1) The head P1 is optimally supported by the pair of left and right support body parts 50. (2) The support of the head P1 by the pair of left and right support body parts 50 is appropriate and not uncomfortable. (3) The head P1 is hardly supported by the pair of left and right support body parts 50.

[0038] FIG. 10 shows a graph plotting the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 when the 10 subjects felt (1) to (3) above. The range of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 when the 10 subjects felt (1) above was determined as the "optimum range." The range of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 when the 10 subjects felt (2) above was determined as the "acceptable range." In the graph shown in FIG. 10, the optimal range is surrounded by line L3, and the acceptable range is surrounded by line L4. Here, the square plots represent the positions that each subject evaluated as the upper limit angle (if the first and second angles are wider than this, they are not supported). The circle plots represent the positions that each subject evaluated as the optimal angle. Furthermore, the triangular plots represent the lower limit angle (if the first and second angles are closer than this, they feel uncomfortable). The area outside the range surrounded by the acceptable range line L4 is the range where the 10 subjects felt (3) above. Here, the optimum range and the allowable range are set to a range of -3σ to +3σ from the average values ​​of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 measured in the above test, where σ is the standard deviation obtained from the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 measured in the above test.

[0039] To summarize the results of the above tests, the optimum ranges and allowable ranges of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 are as shown in Table 1 below. [Table 1]

[0040] As described above, by setting the first angle θ1 in the range of 37.2° to 143° and the second angle θ2 in the range of 12.8° to 68.7°, the head P1 can be well supported by the pair of left and right support body bodies 50. This makes it possible to effectively prevent motion sickness of the seated occupant P.

[0041] Furthermore, by setting the first angle θ1 in the range of 70.5° to 124.5° and the second angle θ2 in the range of 31.1° to 56.6°, the head P1 can be more effectively supported by the pair of left and right support body bodies 50. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent motion sickness of the seated occupant P.

[0042] In addition, in this embodiment, the head support portion 38 is provided with the first angle adjuster 52, so that the first angle θ1 can be easily adjusted to an optimum angle depending on the physique of the seated occupant P, etc.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the head support portion 38 is provided with the second angle adjuster 56, so that the second angle θ2 can be easily adjusted to an optimum angle depending on the physique of the seated occupant P, etc.

[0044] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the head support unit 38 is provided with the first angle adjuster 52 and the second angle adjuster 56, thereby making it possible to adjust the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the first angle adjuster 52 and the second angle adjuster 56 are not provided. In this case, the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 may be set to the median value of the aforementioned optimal range. Also, a configuration may be adopted in which only one of the first angle adjuster 52 and the second angle adjuster 56 is provided. A configuration in which the first angle adjuster 52 and the second angle adjuster 56 are not provided may also be adopted.

[0045] In addition, in the present embodiment, an example in which the head support portion 38 is provided on the headrest 24 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the head support portion 38 may be configured to be provided on the seat back 22 around the headrest 24.

[0046] The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that it can be implemented in various other modified forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10 Vehicle seats 20 seat cushions 22 Seat back 24 Headrest 38 Head support 50 Support body 50A Front of the support body (the face of the support body facing the head of the seated occupant) 52 1st angle adjustment section 56 2nd angle adjustment section θ1 1st angle θ2 2nd angle P Seated occupant P1 head P2 occipital bone

Claims

1. a seat cushion that supports the buttocks of a seated occupant from below the seat; a seat back that supports the back of the seated occupant from the rear side of the seat; a headrest that supports the head of the seated occupant from the rear side of the seat; a head support portion provided on or around the headrest, the head support portion having a pair of left and right support body parts configured to support a portion of the head of the seated occipital bone of the seated occupant from the left and right directions of the seat, and to support the portion from the rear side of the seat toward a front direction and diagonally upward from the seat, wherein the angle formed by the face of the left support body on the head side of the seated occupant and the face of the right support body on the head side of the seated occupant is defined as a first angle, and the angle formed by the direction in which the pair of left and right support body parts are pointed and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is defined as a second angle, the first angle is set in a range of 37.2° to 143° and the second angle is set in a range of 12.8° to 68.7°; a first angle adjuster that connects the pair of left and right support body members in the left-right direction and makes the first angle adjustable; a second angle adjusting unit that adjusts the second angle; Equipped with the first angle adjustment unit includes a mechanism for synchronizing a tilt angle of the left support body relative to the first angle adjustment unit and a tilt angle of the right support body relative to the first angle adjustment unit so that they are the same angle; the second angle adjustment unit allows the support unit body to be tilted in the up-down direction around a central axis extending in the left-right direction, The support portion main body is provided so as to overlap with the central axis when viewed from the front-rear direction.

2. 2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first angle is set in a range of 70.5° to 124.5° and the second angle is set in a range of 31.1° to 56.6°.

3. 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the pair of support body members support only a portion of the head of the seated occupant rearward of the mastoid process so as to sandwich the head from the left and right of the seat.

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