seat pad

Abstract

To provide a seat pad capable of appropriately preventing leakage of urethane in molding even when a duct material for reinforcing a ventilation flue is provided.SOLUTION: A cushion pad 2 comprises: a pad body 10 comprising a polyurethane foamed molding body; a recessed ventilation flue 20 extending along a pad rear face 12 of the pad body 10; a duct material 40 harder than the pad body 10 and forming an inner peripheral wall of the ventilation flue 20; and a planar rear face material 50 provided along the pad rear face 12. The duct material 40 and the rear face material 50 are foam-molded integrally with the pad body 10. The rear face material 50 has an overlapping part 52 which is not provided on a bottom face 43 of the ventilation flue 20, and is provided so as to be overlapped on the duct material 40 in a direction perpendicular to the plane in a non-bottom face area out of the bottom face 43.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat pad, and more particularly to a seat pad having a concave ventilation passage extending along the back surface of the pad body. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a seat pad that includes a concave ventilation passage formed on the back surface of the seat and a cover plate that covers the ventilation passage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-75916 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned seat pad does not have a duct material reinforcing the inner wall of the ventilation passage. Therefore, when a seat load is applied to the seat pad due to sitting, the ventilation passage may be crushed and narrowed, raising concerns about reduced air conditioning performance. On the other hand, if the above-mentioned duct material is provided in the ventilation passage, the backing material covering the back surface of the seat must be cut to fit the shape of the duct material. In this case, if the duct material and backing material are integrally molded with the seat pad, urethane may leak from the gap between the backing material and the duct material, potentially deteriorating the appearance of the seat. Therefore, the present invention provides a seat pad that can appropriately prevent urethane leakage during molding, even when a duct material is provided to reinforce the ventilation passage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the seat pad of the present invention takes the following measures.

[0006] The seat pad of the present invention comprises a pad body made of a polyurethane foam molded body, a concave ventilation passage extending along the back surface of the pad body, a duct material that forms the inner peripheral wall of the ventilation passage and is harder than the pad body, and a planar back surface material that is provided along the back surface of the pad. The duct material and the back surface material are foam-molded integrally with the pad body. The back surface material is not provided on the bottom surface of the ventilation passage, but has an overlapping portion that is provided so as to overlap the duct material in the direction perpendicular to the surface in a non-bottom area away from the bottom surface.

[0007] With this configuration, the hard duct material can maintain the shape of the ventilation passage, preventing deterioration of air conditioning performance even when subjected to the weight of a seat. Furthermore, by overlapping the duct material and the back surface material in the direction perpendicular to the surface, urethane leakage from the overlapping portion during foam molding of the pad body can be prevented.

[0008] The seat pad of the present invention may further be configured as follows: The duct material has an extension that extends outward from the ventilation passage along the back surface of the pad. The overlapping portion overlaps the extension in the direction perpendicular to the surface. This allows the back surface material and the duct material to be easily overlapped without having to form a complex shape such as overlapping the back surface material with the concave shape of the ventilation passage. Furthermore, by overlapping the overlapping portion with the duct material in an area that is outward from the ventilation passage, a wider ventilation passage can be formed.

[0009] The seat pad of the present invention may further be configured as follows: The extension overlaps the backing material so as to sandwich the overlapping portion between the extension and the back surface of the pad. This allows the end of the overlapping portion, which is difficult to fix in position due to the flexibility of the backing material, to be sandwiched and properly fixed between the extension and the back surface of the pad, improving the appearance of the back surface of the seat. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a seat pad according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1 as seen from below. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a perspective view seen from below with the flow path cover removed. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat pad as viewed from above. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a state in which the channel cover is removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of part IX in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the duct material and the back surface material are set in the upper mold. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the upper and lower dies are clamped together. [Figure 12] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. 7. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a portion XIII in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 13. In the following description, when directions such as front, back, up, down, left, and right are indicated, they refer to the directions shown in each figure. Furthermore, when the term "seat width direction" is used, it refers to the left and right direction of the seat cushion 1, which will be described later.

[0012] First Embodiment First, a seat pad according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The seat pad is configured as a cushion pad 2 that forms a cushioning material of a seat cushion 1 of an automobile seat. As shown in FIG. 1-2, the seat cushion 1 has the cushion pad 2 and a flow path cover 3 that is attached so as to cover the underside of the cushion pad 2. A fan (not shown) for seat air conditioning is connected to the flow path cover 3.

[0013] As shown in Figs. 1-3, the cushion pad 2 has a pad body 10 that elastically supports the buttocks of a seated person, and a concave ventilation passage 20 that extends along the pad back surface 12 of the pad body 10. The pad body 10 is made of a polyurethane foam molded body. The ventilation passage 20 opens toward the bottom of the seat and is configured to be closed by a flow path cover 3. The cushion pad 2 also has a plurality of ventilation holes 30 that penetrate the pad body 10 from various locations in the ventilation passage 20 to the pad surface 11.

[0014] The cushion pad 2 is configured so that the air conditioning by the fan functions efficiently through the ventilation passages 20 and the ventilation holes 30. Specifically, the fan blows air downwards on the seat cushion 1, causing air to be drawn into each ventilation hole 30 from the pad surface 11 side. The air drawn into each ventilation hole 30 flows through the ventilation passage 20 to the connection port 3a of the flow path cover 3 and is exhausted downwards on the seat cushion 1 by the fan. This allows heat trapped in the pad main body 10 to be efficiently released to the outside along with the air flow, improving the comfort of the seat cushion 1. As described above, the fan according to this embodiment is configured to generate an air flow from the pad surface 11 side toward the pad back surface 12 side. However, it may also be configured to draw air from the pad back surface 12 side and blow air directly toward the seated occupant.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 3-5 , the cushion pad 2 includes a duct material 40 that forms the inner peripheral wall of the ventilation passage 20 and a planar back surface material 50 that is provided along the pad back surface 12. The duct material 40 and the back surface material 50 are integrally molded during foam molding of the pad main body 10. The duct material 40 is made of press felt and is configured to be harder than the pad main body 10 by being press-molded into a predetermined shape in advance. Therefore, by integrally molding the hard duct material 40 with the pad main body 10, the strength of the area around the ventilation passage 20 of the cushion pad 2 can be increased. Therefore, even if a load is applied from above when an occupant sits on the cushion pad 2, the duct material 40 can maintain its shape so that the ventilation passage 20 is not crushed. This makes it less likely that the flow of air through the ventilation passage 20 will be obstructed, preventing a deterioration in air conditioning performance.

[0016] <Duct material 40> Each component of the cushion pad 2 described above will be described in detail below. As shown in Figures 7 and 3-5, the duct material 40 is a substantially rectangular member with a square cutout in the center of the rear portion. The duct material 40 has a concave bottom surface 43, side surfaces 44 that rise like upright walls from the periphery of the bottom surface 43, and a plurality of bank portions 45 that rise in steps in various places from the bottom surface 43. Each bank portion 45 and the cutouts in the rear portion form the ventilation passage 20 so that it branches out and extends in five directions from the center.

[0017] The duct material 40 has a plurality of ventilation holes 41 penetrating the bottom surface 43. Each ventilation hole 41 is provided so as to communicate with each ventilation hole 30 of the cushion pad 2. The duct material 40 has an extension 42 that projects in a flange-like shape outward in the in-plane direction from the raised end of the side surface 44. The extension 42 forms the peripheral edge of the duct material 40, and extends outward from the ventilation passage 20 along the back surface 12 of the pad.

[0018] <Backing material 50> The back surface material 50 is made of a planar nonwoven fabric, and as shown in FIG. 7, is placed on the back surface 12 of the pad except for the recessed areas of the ventilation channels 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the back surface material 50 has an opening 51 in the center of the front part thereof that opens along the outer periphery of the ventilation channels 20. By having the opening 51 in the back surface material 50, it is possible to form the ventilation channels 20 larger by the thickness of the back surface material 50 compared to a configuration in which the back surface material 50 is placed across and covering the ventilation channels 20. Furthermore, the back surface material 50 can be easily provided on the back surface 12 of the pad without a complex configuration in which the back surface material 50 is placed over the recessed shapes of the ventilation channels 20.

[0019] As shown in Figures 8-9, the back surface material 50 has an overlapping portion 52 that is sandwiched between the pad back surface 12 of the pad main body 10 and the extension portion 42 of the duct material 40. Specifically, the back surface material 50 is integrally molded with the pad main body 10 with the inner peripheral edge of the opening 51 overlapping the back surface (top surface in Figure 9) of the extension portion 42 of the duct material 40, thereby forming the overlapping portion 52. With the above configuration, the end of the flexible overlapping portion 52 can be sandwiched between the extension portion 42 and the pad back surface 12 and properly fixed, compared to a configuration in which the overlapping portion 52 is integrally molded overlapping the front surface (bottom surface in Figure 9) of the extension portion 42.

[0020] Furthermore, by overlapping the extension portion 42 and the overlapping portion 52 in the direction perpendicular to the surface, the gap between the duct material 40 and the back surface material 50 can be reduced. This makes it less likely that urethane will leak from between the duct material 40 and the back surface material 50 during foam molding of the pad body 10. This prevents the appearance of the pad back surface 12 from being deteriorated due to urethane leakage.

[0021] <Flow channel lid 3> The flow path cover 3 is made of press felt and is a substantially rectangular member with a corner cutout in the center of the rear portion to fit the shape of the duct material 40, as shown in FIGS. 4-6. The flow path cover 3 is attached to the foam-molded back surface 12 of the pad from below, as shown in FIG. 8. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the peripheral portion of the inner surface (the upper surface in FIG. 9) of the flow path cover 3 is attached to the duct material 40 and the back surface material 50 with an adhesive 60 such as hot melt, thereby attaching the flow path cover 3 to the pad back surface 12. The flow path cover 3 is formed to be slightly larger than the duct material 40. Therefore, when the flow path cover 3 is attached to the pad back surface 12, as shown in FIG. 6, it covers and conceals the duct material 40 from below.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 4-5, the flow path cover 3 has a connection port 3a in its center to which a fan (not shown) is connected, and multiple positioning protrusions 3b formed in various places on the inner surface. The flow path cover 3 forms part of the inner surface of the ventilation passage 20 when assembled to the pad back surface 12. The connection port 3a opens so as to penetrate the flow path cover 3, connecting the ventilation passage 20 to the fan (not shown). Each positioning protrusion 3b is configured to abut against the side surface 44 of each bank portion 45. Each positioning protrusion 3b makes it easy to position the flow path cover 3 in the front, back, left, and right directions relative to the pad back surface 12.

[0023] <Method of manufacturing the seat cushion 1> The procedure for manufacturing the seat cushion 1 will be described below. First, the duct material 40 and the flow path cover 3 are formed into a predetermined shape in advance by pressing or the like. First, as shown in FIG. 10, the duct material 40 is set to match the shape of the upper mold 4. Specifically, the bottom surface 43 and side surface 44 of the duct material 40 are placed on the molding surface of the upper mold 4. Furthermore, the protrusions 4a of the upper mold 4 are inserted into the ventilation holes 41 of the duct material 40.

[0024] Next, the back surface material 50 is set in the upper mold 4. The back surface material 50 is set overlapping the molding surface of the upper mold 4 except for the overlapping portion 52, and is set so that the overlapping portion 52 overlaps the back surface (the underside in FIG. 10 ) of the extension portion 42 of the duct material 40. The duct material 40 and the back surface material 50 are fixed in place by, for example, suctioning the upper mold 4 so that they do not fall downward due to the action of gravity.

[0025] Next, as shown in FIG. 11 , the upper mold 4 and the lower mold 5 are clamped together. This forms a cavity C for molding the cushion pad 2. Furthermore, the protrusions 5a of the lower mold 5 are butted against the protrusions 4a of the upper mold 4. Liquid polyurethane is then poured into the cavity C, and the pad body 10 is foam-molded. The pad surface 11 of the pad body 10 is formed by the molding surface of the lower mold 5. The butted protrusions 4a and 5a form ventilation holes 30 that penetrate the pad body 10. Furthermore, the protrusions 4a of the upper mold 4 form the ventilation holes 30 so that they communicate with ventilation holes 41 of the duct material 40.

[0026] As shown in Figure 12, the duct material 40 and the backing material 50 are molded integrally with the pad body 10. As a result, the backing material 50 is impregnated with liquid polyurethane and hardens to become one with the pad body 10. The liquid polyurethane is impregnated into the contact surface of the duct material 40, and the duct material 40 is adhered to the pad body 10. The molding surface of the upper mold 4 ensures that the extension 42 of the duct material 40 and the backing material 50 are flush with each other (see Figure 11).

[0027] 13, by overlapping the extension portion 42 of the duct material 40 and the overlapping portion 52 of the backing material 50 in the direction perpendicular to the surface, it is possible to prevent urethane leakage from between the duct material 40 and the backing material 50 when molding the pad main body 10. After integral molding, the portion extending from the overlapping portion 52 of the backing material 50 along the pad back surface 12 becomes an inclined portion 53 that extends gently downward toward the seat. As a result, a space S that opens toward the seat downward is formed between the inclined portion 53 and the end of the extension portion 42.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 9, the above-mentioned adhesive 60 is applied to the space S. Then, the peripheral edge of the inner surface (upper surface in FIG. 8) of the flow path cover 3 is applied to the adhesive 60, thereby adhering the flow path cover 3 to the duct material 40 and the back surface material 50. By applying the adhesive 60 to the space S between the inclined portion 53 and the extension portion 42, the flow path cover 3 can be adhered with its surfaces properly aligned with the extension portion 42 of the duct material 40 and the back surface material 50 without floating due to the thickness of the adhesive 60. In addition, dripping of the adhesive 60 to the outside can be suppressed, thereby reducing the effort required for repairs when the adhesive 60 spills out of the flow path cover 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, by adhering the flow path cover 3, the opening of the ventilation channel 20 is closed and the flow path is connected to a fan (not shown).

[0029] To summarize the above, the seat pad according to the first embodiment has the following configuration: In the following, the reference numerals in parentheses correspond to the respective components shown in the above embodiment.

[0030] That is, the seat pad (2) has a pad main body (10) made of a polyurethane foam molded body, concave ventilation passages (20) extending along the pad back surface (12) of the pad main body (10), a duct material (40) that forms the inner peripheral wall of the ventilation passages (20) and is harder than the pad main body (10), and a planar back surface material (50) that is provided along the pad back surface (12). The duct material (40) and the back surface material (50) are integrally foam-molded with the pad main body (10). The back surface material (50) is not provided on the bottom surface (43) of the ventilation passages (20), but has an overlapping portion (52) that is provided so as to overlap the duct material (40) in the plane perpendicular to the surface in a non-bottom surface region away from the bottom surface (43).

[0031] With this configuration, the shape of the ventilation passage (20) can be maintained using the hard duct material (40), and deterioration of air conditioning performance can be prevented even when the weight of sitting is received. Furthermore, by overlapping the duct material (40) and the back surface material (50) in the direction perpendicular to the surface, urethane leakage from the overlapping portion (52) during foam molding of the pad body (10) can be prevented.

[0032] The duct material (40) also has an extension (42) that extends out of the ventilation passage (20) and along the back surface (12) of the pad. The overlapping portion (52) overlaps the extension (42) in the direction perpendicular to the surface. This configuration allows the back surface material (50) and the duct material (40) to be easily overlapped without having to form a complex shape such as overlapping the concave shape of the ventilation passage (20). Furthermore, because the overlapping portion (52) overlaps the duct material (40) in an area outside the ventilation passage (20), the ventilation passage (20) can be formed wider.

[0033] In addition, the extension (42) overlaps the backing material (50) so as to sandwich the overlapping portion (52) between the extension (42) and the pad back surface (12). With this configuration, the end of the overlapping portion (52), which is difficult to fix in position due to the flexibility of the backing material (50), can be sandwiched and properly fixed between the extension (42) and the pad back surface (12), thereby improving the appearance of the back surface of the seat.

[0034] <Other embodiments> Although the present invention has been described above using one embodiment, the present invention can be embodied in various forms other than the above embodiment.

[0035] 1. The seat pad can be applied to seat cushions as well as seat backs. In addition to automobile seats, it can also be widely applied to seats used in various vehicles other than automobiles, such as trains, airplanes, and ships, as well as seats used in public facilities such as movie theaters and homes.

[0036] 2. The ventilation passage may have any shape other than that shown in the above embodiment, as long as it is a concave shape that extends along the back surface of the pad.

[0037] 3. The duct material may be a preformed press felt or a non-preformed planar nonwoven fabric. The duct material may be made of resin or nonwoven fabric.

[0038] 4. The backing material may be configured to extend so as to overlap the side surface of the ventilation passage in the direction perpendicular to the surface. In the above-mentioned backing material configuration, the overlapping portion may be configured to overlap the duct material in the direction perpendicular to the surface in the side area of ​​the ventilation passage. In this configuration, the duct material may or may not have an extension portion. The overlapping portion may be configured to overlap the duct material so as to sandwich the duct material between the pad back surface and the overlapping portion.

[0039] 5. The flow path lid may be attached to the cushion pad by adhesive or by any other locking structure. The flow path lid may also be integrally molded with the pad body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 seat cushion 2 Cushion pad (seat pad) 3 Channel cover 3a connection port 3b Positioning protrusion 4 Upper mold 4a Protrusion 5 Lower mold 5a Protrusion 10 Pad body 11 Pad surface 12 Back of pad 20 Ventilation duct 30 ventilation holes 40 Duct material 41 Ventilation hole 42 Extension 43 bottom 44 Side 45 Bank 50 Backing material 51 Opening 52 overlapping part 53 Slope 60 Adhesive C cavity S space

Claims

[Claim 1] A seat pad, a pad body made of a polyurethane foam molded body; a concave ventilation passage extending along the back surface of the pad body; a duct material that forms an inner peripheral wall of the ventilation passage and is harder than the pad body; a planar back surface material provided along the back surface of the pad, the duct material and the backing material are integrally foam-molded with the pad body, the back surface material has an overlapping portion that is not provided on the bottom surface of the ventilation passage and is provided so as to overlap the duct material in a plane perpendicular direction in a non-bottom surface region that is apart from the bottom surface, The duct material has an extension portion that deviates from the ventilation passage and extends along the back surface of the pad, the overlapping portion overlaps the extension portion in a direction perpendicular to the surface, The extension portion overlaps the backing material so as to sandwich the overlapping portion between the extension portion and the back surface of the pad.

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