Vehicle seats

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat in which a crew man seated in a wheeled chair can easily fasten a seat belt while suppressing an increase in number of components.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat 1 includes a seat belt 50 shared between a seated crewman P1 and a crewman P2 seated in a wheeled chair to bind his / her body to a floor F in which a seat cushion 2 is flipped up and a wheeled chair 60 is arranged in front of a seat back 3 to be bound to the floor F. The vehicle seat comprises: a retractor 51 which is attached at an upper part of the seat back 3; the seat belt 50 in which the seat belt is sent out from the retractor 51 and the end part at the opposite side to the retractor 51 is fixed to the floor F; a tongue plate 52 which is slidably installed relative to the seat belt 50; and a buckle 71 to which the tongue plate 52 is connected to be engageable and disengageable and which is connected with the floor F. The buckle 71 can be movable in a seat width direction in a state of protruding in an oblique front direction to be shared between the seated crewman P1 of the vehicle seat 1 and the crewman P2 seated in the wheeled chair.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a vehicle seat that can also be used by a wheelchair-bound occupant in which the seat belt used by the seated occupant is placed and fixed to the floor. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicles are known in which a wheelchair-seated occupant can enter the space created by lifting up the seat cushion of a vehicle seat installed in the rear of the vehicle cabin and secure the wheelchair to the floor. In such vehicles, to ensure the safety of the wheelchair-seated occupant, a seat belt is used to restrain the occupant's body to the vehicle body. In such cases, the seat belt used by the vehicle seat occupant can also be used by the wheelchair occupant. Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle seat that protects the wheelchair occupant by connecting the tongue of the seat belt routed in front of the upper half of the wheelchair occupant's body to a buckle installed on the floor that is specifically designed for the wheelchair occupant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-90143 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a separate buckle for the seatbelt used by the occupant in the vehicle seat, which increases the number of parts. Another problem is that the buckle used by the occupant in the wheelchair is placed in full contact with the floor, making it difficult for the occupant in the wheelchair to reach out and grab it from the floor to fasten the tongue of the seatbelt.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that allows an occupant seated in a wheelchair to easily fasten a seat belt while suppressing an increase in the number of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention of the present invention is a vehicle seat, which is equipped with a common seat belt that can restrain the body of a seated occupant of the vehicle seat and a wheelchair occupant who is seated facing forward in a wheelchair fixed to a vehicle body in front of the vehicle seat, to the vehicle body, and the vehicle seat is configured such that the wheelchair is placed in a space created in front of the seat back by moving the whole or part of the seat cushion and fixed to the vehicle body, and a rib attached to the vehicle body or the seat back at the upper rear side of the seat back. The seat belt comprises a retractor, the seat belt being unwound from the retractor and having an end opposite to the end on the retractor side fixed to the vehicle body, a tongue plate slidably attached to the seat belt, and a buckle directly or indirectly connected to the vehicle body to which the tongue plate is detachably connected, and the buckle is movable in the seat width direction while protruding diagonally forward so that it can be used by both the seated occupant of the vehicle seat and the wheelchair occupant.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the buckle connected to the vehicle body to which the tongue plate slidably attached to the seat belt is detachably connected is movable in the seat width direction while protruding diagonally forward so that it can be used by both a seated occupant of the vehicle seat and a wheelchair occupant. This allows the buckle to be moved to an appropriate position in the seat width direction when a wheelchair is placed, making it possible for a wheelchair occupant to easily fasten the tongue plate of the seat belt without providing an additional buckle for the wheelchair occupant.

[0008] The second invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned first invention, the buckle is movable in the seat width direction between an inner position, which is a position in the seat width direction that is easy for a seated occupant of the vehicle seat to use, and an outer position, which is a position in the seat width direction that is easy for the wheelchair occupant to use, and the amount of protrusion diagonally forward is adjustable in both the inner position and the outer position.

[0009] According to the second invention, the buckle is adjustable in the amount of diagonal forward protrusion in both the inner and outer positions, so that when connecting the tongue plate to the buckle, both the seated occupant of the vehicle seat and the occupant of a wheelchair can increase the amount of protrusion and bring the buckle closer to their body, making the connection process easier.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect, the movement of the buckle in the seat width direction and the movement of the buckle in the diagonally forward direction are performed by an electric mechanism.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the buckle is moved by an electric mechanism both in the seat width direction and in the diagonally forward direction, so that the position of the buckle can be easily adjusted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an automobile seat according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from diagonally forward, with a seated occupant indicated by thin lines. [Figure 2] 1 is a side view of the automobile seat of the embodiment, in which a seated occupant is indicated by thin lines. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the automobile seat according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the automobile seat of the embodiment with the seat cushion flipped up and a wheelchair placed thereon, as seen from diagonally forward. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a side view of the automobile seat of the embodiment with the seat cushion flipped up and a wheelchair placed thereon. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a rear view of the automobile seat of the embodiment with the seat cushion flipped up and a wheelchair placed thereon. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the buckle movement mechanism of the embodiment, seen obliquely from behind. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a side view of the buckle movement mechanism of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the buckle movement mechanism of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] 1 to 9 show one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows a state in which a seated occupant P1 is seated in an automobile seat 1 and his / her body is restrained by a seat belt 50. In each figure, arrows indicate the directions of the automobile and automobile seat 1 relative to the seated occupant P1 when the automobile seat 1 is attached to a floor F. In the following description, directions will be described based on these directions.

[0014] The automobile seat 1 of this embodiment is a so-called captain seat, a seat in the second rear row of an automobile that seats one person comfortably. The automobile seat 1 is equipped with a seat cushion 2 that serves as a seating area, a seat back 3 that serves as a backrest, and a headrest 4 that supports the head. Here, the automobile seat 1 and the floor F correspond to the "vehicle seat" and "vehicle body" in the claims, respectively.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the seat cushion 2 includes a leg portion 21 fixed to the floor F and a seat portion 22 supported at the upper portion of the leg portion 21 so as to be vertically rotatable about a pivot shaft (not shown) extending in the left-right direction. As clearly shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the leg portion 21 has a shape in which a pair of left and right side wall portions 21a, each of which has a substantially isosceles trapezoidal shape when viewed from the left and right, are connected at their lower sides by a connecting portion 21b having a hat-shaped cross section that opens downward. The seat portion 22 has a cushion frame 22a forming a skeleton, on which a foam resin pad (not shown) serving as a cushion body is placed, and which is then covered with a fabric cover 22b. In the normal state S1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat portion 22 has a seating surface 22c in a substantially horizontal position to support the buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant P1 sitting on the seat portion 22. In addition, in the flipped-up state S2 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the seating section 22 is in a substantially vertical state with the seating surface 22c facing the seat back 3, allowing the wheelchair 60 to be placed in front of the seat back 3.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat back 3 is connected at its lower end to a back frame 31 forming the framework of the seat cushion 2 via a rotation shaft 23 (see FIG. 9) extending in the left-right direction above and behind the leg portion 21 of the seat cushion 2 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. The angle of inclination of the seat cushion 2 relative to the leg portion 21 is adjustable by a reclining adjuster (not shown). The seat back 3 has a foam resin pad (not shown) placed on the back frame 31 as a cushioning body, which is then covered with a fabric cover 32. In the normal state S1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat back 3 supports the lumbar region and back of a seated occupant P1 seated on the seat cushion 2 with the seating surface 33 facing forward and upward. A pair of left and right armrests 34 are attached to the left and right sides of the seat back 3, with their lower end portions (in FIG. 1) rotatable in the up-down direction relative to the seat back 3 around a rotation shaft (not shown). The state shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is the stored state, and the state when it is rotated forward from this state around the rotation shaft and stopped in a substantially horizontal position is the usage state.

[0017] A retractor 51 of the seat belt 50 is disposed in the upper right rear portion of the seat back 3. The end of the seat belt 50 opposite to the retractor 51 side is fixed to the floor F by an anchor plate (not shown). A tongue plate 52 is slidably attached to the middle of the seat belt 50 between the retractor 51 and the anchor plate. A seated occupant P1 seated in the automobile seat 1 loops the seat belt 50, which is pulled out from the retractor 51, around the front of the upper half of the body from the right shoulder to the lower left waist, and also loops the seat belt 50 from the anchor plate around the front of the waist, thereby releasably engaging the tongue plate 52 with a buckle 71. The buckle 71 is positioned near the upper part of the leg portion 21 of the seat cushion 2 by a buckle moving mechanism 70 (described later). As a result, when the automobile seat 1 is in a normal state, the seated occupant P1 can loop the seat belt 50 around his or her body and fasten it. The retractor 51 may be attached to the car body, such as the floor F or a pillar (not shown).

[0018] The buckle moving mechanism 70 will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 9. The buckle moving mechanism 70 has a left-right moving mechanism 70A that can move the buckle 71 in the left-right direction, and a up-down moving mechanism 70B that can move the buckle 71 in the forward and upward direction. Here, the buckle moving mechanism 70 corresponds to the "electric mechanism" in the claims.

[0019] The left-right movement mechanism 70A includes a cylindrical first cylindrical member 72, a cylindrical second cylindrical member 73 having a smaller diameter than the first cylindrical member 72, a slide base support portion 74, a slide base 75, a screw shaft 76, a reducer 77, and a motor 78. The right end of the first cylindrical member 72 is connected to the slide base 75 via a plate-shaped connecting member 72a, and the left end is connected to a substantially rectangular plate-shaped buckle base 79 extending in the front-upward direction parallel to the side wall portion 21a of the leg portion 21. The left-right middle portion of the first cylindrical member 72 is supported on the left side wall portion 21a via a cylindrical bushing 72b. More specifically, a resin slide smoothing member 72c that reduces sliding resistance is disposed in the inner diameter portion of the bushing 72b, and the first cylindrical member 72 passes through the bushing 72b, and the outer diameter portion of the bushing 72b is fixed to the left side wall portion 21a. This allows the first cylindrical member 72 to slide smoothly in the left-right direction while being supported by the left side wall portion 21a. The second cylindrical member 73 has its left end connected to the buckle base 79, and its middle portion in the left-right direction is supported by the left side wall portion 21a via a bushing similar to bushing 72b (not shown). This allows the buckle base 79 to slide smoothly in the left-right direction relative to the left side wall portion 21a without rotating up and down around the first cylindrical member 72. The slide base support portion 74 is formed by fixing the right end side of a pair of front and rear columnar members 74c extending parallel to each other to the upper surface of the connecting portion 21b of the leg portion 21 with the right fixing member 74a and the left end side with the left fixing member 74b. The slide base 75 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member having a pair of front and rear holes at both ends in the front-rear direction that extend in the left-right direction and through which the respective cylindrical members 74c pass, and a threaded hole extending in the left-right direction and formed in the center in the front-rear direction. The screw shaft 76 is a rod-shaped body having a male thread that can be threadedly engaged with the female thread of the slide base 75, and is rotatably supported by the connecting portion 21b at its right end by the right fixing member 74a and at its left end by the left fixing member 74b. The male thread of the screw shaft 76 is a trapezoidal thread with a trapezoidal tooth cross section to increase load resistance. The right end of the screw shaft 76 is connected to a motor 78 via a reducer 77.As a result, when the motor 78 rotates, the screw shaft 76 rotates accordingly, and the slide base 75, which is threadedly engaged with the screw shaft 76, moves left and right. Changing the rotation direction of the motor 78 moves the slide base 75 right or left. Since the slide base 75 is connected to the right end of the first cylindrical member 72, the buckle base 79 moves left and right via the first cylindrical member 72. In Figures 7 and 9, the slide base 75 is shown in solid lines as the outer position OUT, and the slide base 75, first cylindrical member 72, and second cylindrical member 73 are shown in dashed double-dashed lines as the inner position IN. In the inner position IN, a seated occupant P1 seated in the automobile seat 1 uses the buckle 71, and in the outer position OUT, a wheelchair occupant P2 seated in the wheelchair 60 uses the buckle 71. A cover 87 is attached to the left-right movement mechanism 70A so that it cannot be seen from the outside.

[0020] 7 to 9, the vertical movement mechanism 70B has a buckle base 79, a slide base support part 80, a slide base 81, a screw shaft 82, a reducer 83, and a motor 84. The slide base support part 80 is formed by fixing a pair of cylindrical members 80c extending parallel to each other in an upper-front direction to the left surface of the buckle base 79, with the lower rear end sides of the pair being fixed by a lower fixing member 80a and the upper front end sides being fixed by an upper fixing member 80b. The slide base 81 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member, and is formed with a pair of holes at both end sides in a direction perpendicular to the upper-front direction that extend in the upper-front direction and through which the cylindrical members 80c pass, and a female-threaded screw hole extending in the upper-front direction is formed in the center in the direction perpendicular to the upper-front direction. The screw shaft 82 is a rod-shaped body with external threads that can be threaded into the internal threads of the slide base 81. The screw shaft 82 is rotatably supported by the buckle base 79, with its rear lower end being attached to the lower fixing member 80a and its front upper end being attached to the upper fixing member 80b. The external thread of the screw shaft 82 is a trapezoidal thread with a trapezoidal tooth cross section to increase load resistance. The lower end of the screw shaft 82 is connected to a motor 84 via a reducer 83. As a result, when the motor 84 is rotated, the screw shaft 82 rotates accordingly, and the slide base 81, which is threadedly engaged with the screw shaft 82, moves in a front-upward direction. Note that by changing the rotation direction of the motor 84, the slide base 81 moves in a front-upward direction or a rear-downward direction. The buckle 71 is attached to the front upper end of the slide base 81 via an extension member 85 that extends in a front-upward direction, and the buckle 71 moves in a front-upward direction via the extension member 85. 7 to 9, when the slide base 75 is in the outer position OUT, the buckle 71, extension member 85, and slide base 81 are shown in solid lines to indicate the raised position UP, and the slide base 75, extension member 85, and slide base 81 are shown in chain double-dashed lines to indicate the lowered position DOWN. When wheelchair occupant P2 seated in wheelchair 60 uses the buckle 71 in the outer position OUT, the buckle 71 is set to the raised position UP to make it easier for the tongue plate 52 to engage with the buckle 71. A cover 86 is attached to the slide base 81 from the left side, covering the slide base support part 80, slide base 81, screw shaft 82, and reducer 83 so that they cannot be seen from the outside.

[0021] 1 to 3 and 7 to 9, a case will be described in which a seated occupant P1 is seated in an automobile seat 1 and restrained by a seat belt 50. The seat cushion 2 of the automobile seat 1 is in a normal position S1 with the seating surface 22c in a substantially horizontal position. The buckle 71 has been moved to the inner position IN by the left-right movement mechanism 70A and moved to the lowered position DOWN by the up-down movement mechanism 70B. The left-right movement mechanism 70A and the up-down movement mechanism 70B are operated by operation buttons (not shown). In this state, the seated occupant P1 seated in the automobile seat 1 wraps the seat belt 50, which has been pulled out from the retractor 51, around the front of the upper half of the body from the right shoulder to below the left waist, and wraps the seat belt 50 from the anchor plate around the front of the waist, engaging the tongue plate 52 with the buckle 71. At this time, the up-down movement mechanism 70B may be operated to engage the tongue plate 52 with the buckle 71 in the raised position UP, and then the up-down movement mechanism 70B may be operated to move the buckle 71 to the lowered position DOWN. That is, to increase the ease of the task of engaging the tongue plate 52 with the buckle 71, the position of the buckle 71 at which the tongue plate 52 engages with the buckle 71 can be selectively used between the raised position UP and the lowered position DOWN, as necessary. The position of the buckle 71 may also be set to a position intermediate between the raised position UP and the lowered position DOWN.

[0022] 4 to 9, a case will be described in which a wheelchair occupant P2 seated in a wheelchair 60 is restrained by a seat belt 50. The seat cushion 2 of the automobile seat 1 is in a flipped-up state S2 in which the seating surface 22c faces the seat back 3 in a substantially vertical position. The buckle 71 has been moved to the outward position OUT by the left-right movement mechanism 70A and to the raised position UP by the up-down movement mechanism 70B. The left-right movement mechanism 70A and the up-down movement mechanism 70B are operated by operation buttons (not shown). In this state, the wheelchair 60 is driven from the rear side onto the floor F in front of the seat back 3, and the wheelchair 60 is fixed to the floor F with the wheelchair occupant P2 facing forward. The wheelchair 60 is fixed to the floor F by pulling the frame near the left and right front wheels of the wheelchair 60 against the floor F with belts. Then, the wheelchair occupant P2 seated in the wheelchair 60 loops the seat belt 50, which has been pulled out from the retractor 51, around the front of the upper half of the body from the right shoulder to below the left waist, and loops the seat belt 50 from the anchor plate around the front of the waist, and engages the tongue plate 52 with the buckle 71. At this time, the buckle 71 is located close to the wheelchair occupant P2's hand, so that the tongue plate 52 can be easily engaged with the buckle 71. After the tongue plate 52 is engaged with the buckle 71, the buckle 71 may be moved to the lowered position DOWN by the vertical movement mechanism 70B. The position of the buckle 71 may also be set to a position intermediate between the raised position UP and the lowered position DOWN depending on the size of the wheelchair 60.

[0023] The embodiment configured as described above has the following advantages. The buckle 71, to which the tongue plate 52 slidably attached to the seat belt 50 is releasably connected, is movable left and right by the left-right movement mechanism 70A while protruding forward and upward so that it can be used by both the seated occupant P1 of the automobile seat 1 and the wheelchair occupant P2. This allows the buckle 71 to be moved to an appropriate position left and right when the wheelchair 60 is positioned, making it possible for the wheelchair occupant P2 to easily fasten the tongue plate 52 of the seat belt 50 without providing an additional buckle for the wheelchair occupant P2.

[0024] Furthermore, the amount of protrusion of the buckle 71 in the forward and upward direction can be adjusted by the up-down movement mechanism 70B in both the inner position IN and the outer position OUT, so that when connecting the tongue plate 52 to the buckle 71, the amount of protrusion can be increased to bring the buckle closer to the body for both the seated occupant P1 of the automobile seat 1 and the wheelchair occupant P2, making the connection process easier. Furthermore, the left-right movement mechanism 70A and the up-down movement mechanism 70B are electrically operated electric mechanisms, so the position of the buckle 71 can be easily adjusted.

[0025] Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those external appearances and configurations, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the following can be mentioned.

[0026] 1. In the above embodiment, the seat cushion 2 of the automobile seat 1 is configured so that the seating portion 22 can be placed in a normal state S1 and a flipped-up state S2 by being supported at the top of the leg portions 21 so as to be rotatable up and down about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. However, this is not limiting, and the seating portion 22 may be detachably attached to the leg portions 21. In this case, the wheelchair 60 is attached to the floor F in front of the seat back 3 with the seating portion 22 detached from the leg portions 21.

[0027] 2. In the above embodiment, the buckle 71 is configured to be fixed to the floor F via the left-right movement mechanism 70A and the up-down movement mechanism 70B of the automobile seat 1, but this is not limited to this, and the left-right movement mechanism 70A and the up-down movement mechanism 70B can also be configured to be fixed directly to the floor F.

[0028] 3. In the above embodiment, the automobile seat 1 is configured as a one-seater captain seat, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a two-seater bench seat.

[0029] 4. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a car seat, but it may also be applied to seats installed in airplanes, ships, trains, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1. Automobile seats (vehicle seats) 2 seat cushions 3 Seat back 50 Seatbelt 51 Retractor 52 Tongue plate 60 Wheelchair 70 Buckle movement mechanism (electric mechanism) 70A Left and right movement mechanism 70B Vertical movement mechanism 71 Buckle F Floor (vehicle body) IN Inner position OUT Outer position DOWN Down position UP Raised position P1 seated occupant P2 Wheelchair occupant

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, a shared seat belt is provided for a seated occupant of the vehicle seat and a wheelchair occupant seated facing forward in a wheelchair fixed to the vehicle body in front of the vehicle seat, with the seat belt being capable of restraining the body of each of the seated occupant and the wheelchair occupant facing forward in the vehicle body; The vehicle seat is configured such that the wheelchair is placed in a space created in front of the seat back by moving the entire or part of the seat cushion and is fixed to the vehicle body; the seat belt includes: a retractor attached to the vehicle body or the seat back on the upper rear side of the seat back; the seat belt that is unreeled from the retractor and has an end opposite to the end on the retractor side fixed to the vehicle body; a tongue plate that is slidably attached to the seat belt; and a buckle that is directly or indirectly connected to the vehicle body and to which the tongue plate is detachably connected, The buckle is movable in the width direction of the seat while protruding diagonally forward so that it can be used by both the seated occupant of the vehicle seat and the wheelchair occupant.

2. According to claim 1, the buckle is movable in the seat width direction between an inner position, which is a position in the seat width direction that is easy for a seated occupant of the vehicle seat to use, and an outer position, which is a position in the seat width direction that is easy for the wheelchair occupant to use, and The vehicle seat is capable of adjusting the amount of oblique forward projection at both the inner position and the outer position.

3. 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the movement of the buckle in the seat width direction and the movement of the buckle in the diagonally forward direction are effected by an electric mechanism.

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