Front frame of an automobile seat

Abstract

To provide a front frame of an automobile seat which improves bondability to other member and bending workability.SOLUTION: A front frame 100 of an automobile seat 1 has a non-linear tubular shape which is subjected to bending. The front frame 100 includes a flat outside flat surface 101 constituting at least a part of outside of the bending, and an inside arc surface 102 which constitutes at least a part of inside of the bending, and is curved. The outside flat surface 101 is continuous up to joint parts 121 and 131 joined to cushion side frames 11 and 12 of the automobile seat 1, and constitutes joint surfaces 121a and 131a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a front frame for an automobile seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Metal pipes, such as the front frames of automobile seats, are subjected to bending processing. In such metal pipes, if the curvature of the bending processing is large, wrinkles or buckling may occur on the inside of the bent portion.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an ultra-high tensile strength, deformed electric resistance welded steel pipe characterized in that the cross-sectional shape is an oval shape with the upper and lower parts convex outward and the side parts straight, or a gourd shape with the upper and lower parts convex outward and the side parts convex inward, or an oval or gourd shape with the lower side having a radius of curvature close to that of a straight line. This ultra-high tensile strength, deformed electric resistance welded steel pipe has improved bending properties compared to round pipe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-106978 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The ultra-high tensile deformed electric resistance welded steel pipe of Patent Document 1 aims to improve the bending properties of the pipe as a stand-alone component, without considering its joinability with other components.Furthermore, it does not consider bending workability in the extension direction (longitudinal direction), which affects the aesthetic appearance of the finished product.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to improve the joinability to other members and the bending workability of a front frame of an automobile seat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a front frame for an automobile seat that is non-linear tubular and has been subjected to bending, the front frame comprising a flat outer flat surface that constitutes at least a part of the outer side of the bending, and a curved inner arcuate surface that constitutes at least a part of the inner side of the bending, the outer flat surface continuing up to a joint portion that is joined to a cushion side frame of the automobile seat, and constituting a joint surface.

[0008] This configuration allows the outer flat surface to flatten the joint surface, improving the connection between the front frame and the cushion side frame. If the front frame were constructed from a circular tube, the joint surface would be an arcuate surface. Therefore, the cushion side frame would also need to have a complementary arcuate surface, complicating the joint structure. In contrast, the above configuration simplifies the joint structure by flattening the joint surface with the outer flat surface. Therefore, many different joining methods can be employed, allowing selection of a joining method based on manufacturing costs and the required joint strength. Furthermore, the inner arcuate surface can suppress wrinkles or buckling during bending. Furthermore, the outer flat surface allows for sharp bending, providing greater flexibility in product design. Here, for example, the "inside" of a bend refers to the inner corner side when an interior angle of less than 180 degrees is formed after bending, and the "outside" of a bend refers to the outer corner side.

[0009] The front frame of the automobile seat may be made of an extruded aluminum alloy material having a uniform cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction.

[0010] This configuration allows the extrusion of an aluminum alloy extrusion material to have an outer flat surface and an inner arcuate surface. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be simplified compared to when the outer flat surface and the inner arcuate surface are formed by post-processing. For example, post-processing such as crushing a pipe member with a circular cross section to form the outer flat surface can be omitted.

[0011] In the cross section, the length of the outer flat surface may be equal to or less than twice the radius of curvature of the inner arcuate surface.

[0012] This configuration prevents the outer flat surface from becoming larger than necessary. The size of the outer flat surface can be determined from the viewpoints of bending workability and functioning as a joining surface, and this can be achieved by the above configuration. Furthermore, for example, the relationship between the outer flat surface and the inner arcuate surface can be made to have a chord-arc relationship in cross section, which simplifies the cross-sectional shape.

[0013] In the cross section, a thickness of a portion that constitutes the inner arcuate surface may be greater than a thickness of a portion that constitutes the outer flat surface.

[0014] According to this configuration, by forming the inner arcuate surface, which contributes to suppressing wrinkles or buckling, thicker than the outer flat surface, which is not related to them, wrinkles or buckling can be efficiently suppressed while suppressing weight increase.

[0015] The front frame of the automobile seat may further include a flat upper surface that forms at least a part of the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0016] With this configuration, the occupant can be supported by the upper flat surface, which effectively prevents the occupant from sliding forward on the automobile seat, thereby preventing the so-called submarine phenomenon. Here, the "upper side" in the vertical direction of the vehicle refers to, for example, the upper half or more of the front frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, in a front frame of an automobile seat, it is possible to improve the joinability with other members and the bending workability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile seat. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a front frame of an automobile seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the front frame of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a side view of the front frame of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the front frame taken along line VV in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3, showing a first modified example of the front frame. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3, showing a second modified example of the front frame. [Figure 8] FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 4, showing a third modified example of the front frame. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 4, showing a fourth modified example of the front frame. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5, showing a fifth modified example of the front frame. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5, showing a sixth modified example of the front frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] An automobile seat 1 will be described with reference to Figure 1. In Figure 1, surface members such as a seat cushion and seat back that are normally attached to the automobile seat 1 are omitted so that the frame can be clearly seen. In the figure, the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle is indicated as the X direction, the width direction of the vehicle (left-to-right direction of the vehicle) is indicated as the Y direction, and the up-down direction of the vehicle is indicated as the Z direction. These directions may also be simply referred to as front-to-rear, left-to-right, or up-and-down, respectively.

[0021] The automobile seat 1 has a seat cushion frame 10 that supports the occupant from below, and a seat back frame 20 that supports the occupant from behind. A seat cushion (not shown) is attached to the seat cushion frame 10, and a seat back (not shown) is attached to the seat back frame 20.

[0022] The seat cushion frame 10 has cushion side frames 11, 12, seat cross members 13, 14, a rear frame 15, and a front frame 100. The cushion side frames 11, 12 extend in the front-rear direction and are spaced apart in the left-right direction. The seat cross members 13, 14 extend in the left-right direction and are spaced apart in the front-rear direction, connecting the front and rear portions of the cushion side frames 11, 12. The rear frame 15 extends in the left-right direction and connects the upper rear portions of the cushion side frames 11, 12. The front frame 100 forms the front portion of the automobile seat 1, extends roughly in the left-right direction, and connects the upper front portions of the cushion side frames 11, 12. The front frame 100 will be described in detail below.

[0023] The seatback frame 20 has backside frames 21, 22, an upper frame 23, a middle frame 24, and angle adjustment units 25, 26. The backside frames 21, 22 are spaced apart in the left-right direction and extend in the up-down direction. The upper frame 23 extends in the left-right direction and connects the upper ends of the backside frames 21, 22. The middle frame 24 extends in the left-right direction and connects the centers of the backside frames 21, 22. The angle adjustment units 25, 26 connect the seat cushion frame 10 and the backside frames 21, 22 so that the angle can be adjusted.

[0024] In this embodiment, fixed members 31 and 32 are provided at the lower left and right portions of the seat cross member 13, and fixed members 33 and 34 are provided at the lower left and right portions of the seat cross member 14. The fixed members 31 to 34 are fixed to a slide rail unit 40, which is shown schematically by a dashed line. The slide rail unit 40 has a mechanism for sliding the automobile seat 1 in the front-rear direction relative to a floor panel 50 that constitutes the floor surface of the vehicle compartment. Note that only a portion of the floor panel 50 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0025] The front frame 100 of the automobile seat 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 5. In Figure 4, the cushion side frame 12 is schematically shown by a broken line.

[0026] 2 and 3, the front frame 100 has a non-linear tubular shape that has been bent when viewed from the top-bottom direction of the vehicle. The front frame 100 is manufactured by bending both ends of a straight pipe rearward. In detail, the front frame 100 has a base portion 110 that extends in the left-right direction at the center in the vehicle width direction, end portions 120, 130 that extend in the front-rear direction at both ends in the vehicle width direction, and bent portions 140, 150 that connect the base portion 110 and end portions 120, 130. In other words, the bent portions 140, 150 are portions that have been bent. In the illustrated example, each of the bent portions 140, 150 is bent so that the interior angle is approximately 90 degrees.

[0027] In this embodiment, a part of the outside of the bent portion of the bent portion 140, 150 is a flat outer flat surface 101. The outer flat surface 101 preferably constitutes at least a part of the outside of the bent portion of the bent portion 140, 150. Furthermore, a part of the inside of the bent portion of the bent portion 140, 150 is a curved inner arc surface 102. The inner arc surface 102 preferably constitutes at least a part of the inside of the bent portion. Here, for example, the inside of the bent portion refers to the inside angle side when an interior angle of less than 180 degrees is formed after bending, and the outside of the bent portion refers to the outer angle side.

[0028] In this embodiment, the front frame 100 is made of an extruded aluminum alloy material having a uniform cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction. Therefore, the outer flat surface 101 is provided continuously over the entire length from the end portion 120 through the base portion 110 to the end portion 130. Similarly, the inner arcuate surface 102 is also provided continuously over the entire length from the end portion 120 through the base portion 110 to the end portion 130.

[0029] 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the end portions 120 and 130 have horizontally disposed joint portions 121 and 131 and inclined portions 122 and 132 that are inclined upward from the joint portions 121 and 131, respectively. The inclined portions 122 and 132 connect the joint portions 121 and 131 to the bent portions 140 and 150, respectively. As a result, the bent portions 140 and 150 and the base portion 110 are located above the joint portions 121 and 131.

[0030] The outer surfaces of the joints 121, 131 in the vehicle width direction form joint surfaces 121a, 131a that are joined to the cushion side frames 11, 12. That is, the outer flat surface 101 continues to the joints 121, 131 that are joined to the cushion side frames 11, 12 of the automobile seat 1, forming the joint surfaces 121a, 131a. The inner surfaces of the cushion side frames 11, 12 in the vehicle width direction form flat joint surfaces 11a, 12a (see FIG. 1 ) that are flush with the joint surfaces 121a, 131a. For this joining, if the cushion side frames 11, 12 and the front frame 100 are made of the same metal, arc welding such as MIG or TIG can be used. Alternatively, other welding methods such as resistance, electron beam, plasma, laser, or friction stir welding may be combined. Furthermore, even if the cushion side frames 11, 12 and the front frame 100 are made of different materials, they may be joined by mechanical fastening such as bolt fastening or rivet fastening, or they may be joined by adhesive or brazing, etc., as long as the joining strength is ensured.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 5, the cross-sectional shape of the inner arcuate surface 102 is an arc with a radius of curvature R. Preferably, in the cross-section, the length D1 of the outer flat surface 101 is equal to or less than twice the radius of curvature R of the inner arcuate surface 102 (D1≦2R). This prevents the outer flat surface 101 from becoming unnecessarily large. The size of the outer flat surface 101 can be determined from the perspective of bending workability and functioning as the joining surfaces 121a, 131a (see FIG. 3), and these can be achieved within the above-mentioned numerical ranges. Furthermore, for example, since the relationship between the outer flat surface 101 and the inner arcuate surface 102 can be set to the relationship of a chord and an arc in the cross-section as in this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the front frame 100 can be simplified.

[0032] In this embodiment, the thickness t1 of the portion constituting the inner arcuate surface 102 is the same as the thickness t2 of the portion constituting the outer flat surface 101 (t1=t2). Note that in this embodiment, as described above, the front frame 100 is made of an extruded aluminum alloy material with a uniform cross-sectional shape, and the thickness of the front frame 100 is uniform at any part.

[0033] The front frame 100 of the automobile seat 1 according to this embodiment provides the following advantageous effects.

[0034] The outer flat surface 101 allows the joining surfaces 121a and 131a to be flat, improving the joinability between the front frame 100 and the cushion side frames 11 and 12. If the front frame 100 were constructed from a circular tube, the joining surfaces 121a and 131a would be arcuate. Therefore, the cushion side frames 11 and 12 would also need to have complementary arcuate surfaces 11a and 12a, complicating the joining structure. In contrast, in this embodiment, the outer flat surface 101 allows the joining surfaces 121a and 131a to be flat, simplifying the joining structure. Therefore, many different joining methods can be employed, allowing the joining method to be selected according to manufacturing costs and the required joining strength. Furthermore, the inner arcuate surface 102 prevents wrinkles or buckling during bending. Furthermore, the outer flat surface 101 allows for sharp bending, increasing the degree of freedom in product design.

[0035] Furthermore, because the aluminum alloy extrusion is extruded to have the outer flat surface 101 and the inner arcuate surface 102, the manufacturing process can be simplified compared to when the outer flat surface 101 and the inner arcuate surface 102 are formed by post-processing. For example, post-processing such as partially flattening a pipe member with a circular cross section to form the outer flat surface can be omitted. Furthermore, if such post-processing is permitted, the material and forming method of the front frame 100 are not particularly limited. For example, a steel pipe member with a circular cross section may be partially flattened to form the outer flat surface 101, with the remaining arcuate surface becoming the inner arcuate surface 102, and then bending may be performed so that the outer flat surface 101 is on the outside and the inner arcuate surface 102 is on the inside.

[0036] A first modified example of the front frame 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] In the first modified example, each of the bent portions 140, 150 is configured to be bent at two locations. In the illustrated example, the interior angles after the bending are both approximately 135 degrees. In this way, the bent portions 140, 150 may be bent not only smoothly but also in a folded manner. The number of bends is also not particularly limited.

[0038] A second modified example of the front frame 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0039] In the second modified example, the base portion 110 is curved in a wavy manner when viewed from the vertical direction of the vehicle. In this way, the shape of the base portion 110 is not particularly limited.

[0040] Third and fourth modified examples of the front frame 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0041] In a third modified example shown in FIG. 8, the inclined portions 122, 132 (see FIG. 4) are not provided, and the terminal portions 120, 130 (joint portions 121, 131) are each arranged at an incline from the horizontal. In a fourth modified example shown in FIG. 9, similar to the third modified example, the inclined portions 122, 132 (see FIG. 4) are not provided, and the terminal portions 120, 130 (joint portions 121, 131) are each arranged horizontally. Therefore, in the fourth modified example, the base portion 110, the bent portions 140, 150, and the terminal portions 120, 130 are arranged at the same height. As such, there is no particular limitation on the arrangement angle of the terminal portions 120, 130 or the joint portions 121, 131.

[0042] A fifth modified example of the front frame 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0043] In the fifth modified example, a portion of the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle is a flat upper flat surface 103. The upper flat surface 103 is located in a position that supports the backs of the thighs of the occupant. It is preferable that the upper flat surface 103 constitutes at least a portion of the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In the illustrated example, the upper flat surface 103 is not continuous with the outer flat surface 101, that is, is formed apart from the outer flat surface 101. Here, the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle refers to, for example, the upper half or more of the front frame 100.

[0044] In the cross section shown in the figure, the length D1 of the outer flat surface 101, the radius of curvature R of the inner arcuate surface 102, and the length D2 of the upper flat surface 103 are in increasing order (D1>R>D2). Preferably, the length D2 of the upper flat surface 103 is equal to or less than twice the radius of curvature R of the inner arcuate surface 102 (D2≦2R). However, this relationship can be adjusted as desired.

[0045] According to the fifth modification, the occupant can be supported by the upper flat surface 103, so that the occupant can be effectively prevented from sliding forward on the automobile seat 1, thereby preventing the so-called submarine phenomenon.

[0046] A sixth modified example of the front frame 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0047] In the sixth modified example, in the cross section shown in the figure, the thickness t2 of the portion that constitutes the inner arcuate surface 102 is greater than the thickness t1 of the portion that constitutes the outer flat surface 101 (t2>t1).

[0048] According to this modification, the inner arcuate surface 102, which contributes to suppressing wrinkles or buckling, is made thicker than the outer flat surface 101, which is not related to these, thereby efficiently suppressing wrinkles or buckling while suppressing weight increase.

[0049] While specific embodiments of the present invention and their modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the present invention. For example, an appropriate combination of the contents of the individual modifications may be used as an embodiment of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1. Car seats 10 Seat cushion frame 11,12 Cushion side frame 11a,12a Joint surface 13,14 Seat cross member 15 Rear frame 20 Seat back frame 21,22 Backside frame 23 Upper frame 24 Middle Frame 25,26 Angle adjustment unit 31~34 Fixing members 40 Slide rail unit 50 floor panel 100 Front Frame 101 Outer flat surface 102 Inner arc surface 103 Upper flat surface 110 Base 120 End 121 Joint 121a Joint surface 122 Slope 130 End 131 Joint 131a Joint surface 132 Slope 140 Bending section 150 Bending section

Claims

1. A non-linear tubular front frame for an automobile seat that has been subjected to bending processing, a flat outer flat surface that constitutes at least a portion of the outer side of the bend; an inner arc surface curved with a constant radius of curvature that constitutes at least a part of the inside of the bending process; Equipped with The outer flat surface is continuous to a joint portion where the outer flat surface is joined to a cushion side frame of the automobile seat, and forms a joint surface; The vehicle further includes a flat upper flat surface that forms at least a part of the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction, A front frame for an automobile seat, the cross-sectional shape of which is constituted only by the outer flat surface, the inner arcuate surface, and the upper flat surface.

2. 2. The front frame of an automobile seat according to claim 1, which is made of an aluminum alloy extruded material having a uniform cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction.

3. 3. The front frame of an automobile seat according to claim 2, wherein in the cross section, the length of the outer flat surface is equal to or less than twice the radius of curvature of the inner arcuate surface.

4. 4. The front frame for an automobile seat according to claim 2, wherein in the cross section, a thickness of a portion that constitutes the inner arcuate surface is greater than a thickness of a portion that constitutes the outer flat surface.

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