Seat rail structure

Abstract

To provide a seat rail structure that always prevents a seat from moving beyond a prescribed position and can ensure safety of a crewman seated in the seat even if inertia force toward a vehicle front side acts on the seat in a slide lock release state.SOLUTION: A seat rail structure 10 has a lock mechanism 30 provided on a front side with respect to a slide position fixation possible area of a seat 16 in a lower rail 22. The lock mechanism 30 has: a stopper 32 which is formed into a substantially "L" shape in a side view by an upper wall 34 and a rear wall 36, and of which a bent part 35 is rotatably supported with a vehicle width direction as an axial direction; and a roll 38 which is located between the upper wall 34 and the rear wall 36 with the vehicle width direction as the axial direction and rolls to a front side by inertia force, thereby elevating the upper wall 34. When the upper rail 28 is moved to a front side with respect to the slide position fixation possible area by the inertia force, a lock part 33 which is formed at a front end part of the elevated upper wall 34 prevents movement of the upper rail 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat rail structure.

Background Art

[0002] In order to prevent a slidable rear seat supported by a long slide rail from getting too close to the front seat inadvertently in its slide unlocked state, a structure is conventionally known in which a stopper is removably provided on the long slide rail so as to secure the space required by the passengers sitting on the rear seat (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in a configuration in which a stopper is removably provided on a long lower rail such as a long slide rail, there is a risk of forgetting to reattach the stopper after removing it. If the stopper is not attached, in the slide unlocked state of the rear seat, the rear seat can slide to a position too close to the front seat, so that when an inertial force acting toward the front of the vehicle acts on the rear seat, there is a risk that the passengers sitting on the rear seat will collide with the front seat, and safety is not ensured for the passengers sitting on the rear seat.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a seat rail structure that can ensure the safety of occupants seated in the seat by always preventing the seat from moving beyond a predetermined position, even when an inertial force acting toward the front of the vehicle acts on the seat in the slide-lock released state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the seat rail structure according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a lower rail provided on the floor of a vehicle, an upper rail to which a seat is attached and which is slidably supported on the lower rail, and a locking mechanism provided on the lower rail on the vehicle side of the area where the sliding position of the seat can be fixed, wherein the locking mechanism is formed in a substantially "L" shape by an upper wall extending toward the front of the vehicle and a rear wall extending toward the lower of the vehicle in a side view, and the boundary between the upper wall and the rear wall is curved The device comprises a stopper whose curved portion is supported so as to be rotatable in the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, and a roll positioned between the upper wall and the rear wall in the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, which rolls forward due to inertial force to raise the upper wall, wherein the vehicle front end of the upper wall is a locking portion that is bent to extend upward on the vehicle side, and when the upper rail moves forward of the vehicle beyond the sliding position fixing region due to the inertial force, the locking portion of the raised upper wall prevents the upper rail from moving.

[0007] According to the invention described in claim 1, an upper rail to which a seat is attached is slidably supported on a lower rail provided on the floor of the vehicle. A locking mechanism is provided on the vehicle front side of the area on the lower rail in which the seat can be fixed in a sliding position.

[0008] Here, the locking mechanism is formed in a roughly "L" shape by an upper wall extending forward of the vehicle and a rear wall extending downward of the vehicle in a side view, and includes a stopper whose bent portion, which forms the boundary between the upper wall and the rear wall, is supported so as to be rotatable in the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, and a roll which is positioned between the upper wall and the rear wall in the vehicle width direction as an axial direction and which raises the upper wall by rolling forward of the vehicle due to inertial force, and the vehicle front end of the upper wall is a locking portion that is bent so as to extend upward of the vehicle.

[0009] Furthermore, when the upper rail moves forward of the vehicle beyond the range in which it can be fixed in a sliding position due to the aforementioned inertial force, the locking portion of the raised upper wall prevents the upper rail from moving. Therefore, even when the slide lock of the seat attached to the upper rail is released, an inertial force acting toward the front of the vehicle acts on the seat, preventing it from moving beyond its predetermined position, thus ensuring the safety of the occupant seated in the seat. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, even if an inertial force acting toward the front of the vehicle acts on the seat in the slide-lock released state, it is always possible to prevent the seat from moving beyond a predetermined position, thereby ensuring the safety of the occupant seated in the seat. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing the interior of a vehicle equipped with the seat rail structure according to this embodiment, as a partially enlarged side view. [Figure 2] (A) A schematic side view showing the seat rail structure according to this embodiment. (B) A schematic front view showing the seat rail structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic side view showing a partially enlarged view of the operation of the seat rail structure according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of explanation, in each figure, the arrow UP will indicate the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR will indicate the forward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow RH will indicate the rightward direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions of up, down, front, back, and left and right will refer to the up, down, front, back, and left and right directions of the vehicle. Also, the left and right direction is synonymous with the vehicle width direction.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 12 equipped with the seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment has so-called three rows of seats. Specifically, the vehicle 12 is provided with left and right front seats 14 as front seats, left and right second seats 16 as rear seats, and a third seat 18 as a rear seat located behind each second seat 16. Each front seat 14 is a captain's seat and can slide in the front-to-back direction, while the third seat 18 is a bench seat and cannot slide in the front-to-back direction.

[0014] Furthermore, in the floor 20 of this vehicle 12, approximately in the center in the longitudinal direction, there are long lower rails 22, which are long slide rails that support each second seat 16 so that it can slide in the longitudinal direction, provided in pairs on the left and right. In other words, the second seats 16 are captain seats, similar to the front seats 14, where the left and right seats can move independently in the longitudinal direction. Hereafter, the second seats 16 will be simply referred to as "seat 16".

[0015] The seat 16 is attached to and supported by an upper rail 28, which is slidably supported by a lower rail 22, as shown in Figure 2(B). Specifically, the lower rail 22 has a bottom wall 22A, left and right side walls 22B, and left and right upper walls 22C, and in a front view (viewed from the front-rear direction), the opposing inner ends 22D of the upper walls 22C are bent downward at approximately a right angle.

[0016] The upper rail 28 has left and right side walls 28A and left and right bottom walls 28B. In a front view, the outer ends 28C of the bottom walls 28B are bent at approximately a right angle upwards. The bottom wall 28B of the upper rail 28 is slidably fitted to the upper wall 22C of the lower rail 22 such that the outer ends 28C of the bottom wall 28B of the upper rail 28 are located outside the inner ends 22D of the upper wall 22C of the lower rail 22. Note that in Figure 2(B), they are depicted separated.

[0017] The seat 16 is configured to slide in the front-rear direction together with the upper rail 28, allowing its front-rear position to be adjusted. Specifically, the lower rail 22 and the upper rail 28 are provided with a slide lock mechanism (not shown) that allows the position of the upper rail 28 relative to the lower rail 22 to be fixed at a desired position according to the occupant's physique, etc.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, a predetermined area in the front-rear direction that can be adjusted by the slide lock mechanism is the "slide position fixed area E" of the seat 16. Further forward of the slide position fixed area E on the lower rail 22 (the slide position non-fixable area of ​​the seat 16 that is not moved during normal seating), another lock mechanism 30, which constitutes the seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment, is provided.

[0019] As shown in Figures 2(A) and 2(B), the locking mechanism 30 includes a stopper 32 and a cylindrical roll 38. The stopper 32 is formed in an approximately "L" shape in a side view (viewed from the vehicle width direction) with an upper wall 34 extending forward and a rear wall 36 extending downward. The bent portion 35, which forms the boundary between the upper wall 34 and the rear wall 36, is rotatably supported by the top portion 24A of a pair of support brackets 24, which are erected on both the left and right sides of the bottom wall 22A of the lower rail 22, with the vehicle width direction as the axial direction.

[0020] The roll 38 is arranged on the upper surface of the bottom wall 22A between the upper wall 34 and the rear wall 36 of the stopper 32 with the vehicle width direction as the axial direction, and the axial length thereof is formed slightly shorter than the width of the bottom wall 22A (the length along the left-right direction). Further, both the left and right sides of the bottom wall 22A are inclined walls that incline upward and outward to the left and right in a front view, and are configured to restrict the axial movement of the roll 38.

[0021] And this roll 38 is configured to raise the upper wall 34 of the stopper 32 by rolling forward by an inertial force above a threshold value described later. That is, the roll 38 comes into contact with the lower surface 34A of the upper wall 34 by rolling forward and pushes up the upper wall 34. Incidentally, this roll 38 is configured to separate from the lower surface 34A of the upper wall 34 by rolling backward and let the upper wall 34 fall (lower) by its own weight.

[0022] Further, a regulating base 26 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 22A of the lower rail 22 so that the roll 38 does not roll forward more than necessary. The regulating base 26 is formed in a substantially obtuse triangular shape in a side view, and the rearward inclined surface is an inclined surface 26A at a predetermined angle that prevents the roll 38 from rolling more than necessary. And the forward inclined surface of the regulating base 26 is a support surface 26B against which the lower surface 34A of the upper wall 34 of the lowered stopper 32 abuts.

[0023] Also, the roll 38 is regulated by the rear wall 36 of the stopper 32 so as not to roll backward more than necessary. That is, this roll 38 has a predetermined diameter such that it cannot go out to the rear from the gap between the lower portion 36A of the rear wall 36 and the bottom wall 22A of the lower rail 22 in a state where the lower surface 34A of the upper wall 34 of the stopper 32 abuts against the support surface 26B of the regulating base 26. And this roll 38 has a predetermined weight that makes it difficult to roll with an inertial force less than the threshold value during normal running.

[0024] Furthermore, the front end (forward end) of the upper wall 34 of the stopper 32 is a locking portion 33 that is bent at approximately a right angle so as to extend upward when viewed from the side. This locking portion 33 is designed to protrude onto a virtual extension line to the front of the movement trajectory of the upper rail 28 when the roll 38 rolls forward and pushes up (raises) the upper wall 34 of the stopper 32, thereby preventing the upper rail 28 from moving any further forward.

[0025] In other words, when the upper rail 28 moves forward beyond the sliding position fixing region E due to an inertial force exceeding a threshold during emergency deceleration of the vehicle 12, such as when the driver applies the brakes suddenly or when the vehicle 12 is involved in a frontal collision, the roll 38 also rolls forward due to that inertial force. As a result, the upper wall 34 of the stopper 32 is raised by the roll 38, and the front end 28D of the upper rail 28 (see Figure 2(A)) comes into contact with the locking portion 33 from the rear. This prevents the seat 16 from moving forward beyond a predetermined position.

[0026] The operation of the seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment, which has the configuration described above, will now be explained.

[0027] As described above, the upper rail 28 to which the seat 16 is attached is slidably supported by the lower rail 22 provided on the floor 20 of the vehicle 12. A locking mechanism 30 is provided on the lower rail 22 in front of the area E where the seat 16 can be fixed in a sliding position.

[0028] Therefore, as shown in Figure 3(A), when the seat 16 is slid in the longitudinal direction together with the upper rail 28 by an occupant seated in the seat 16 to adjust its longitudinal position, in other words, when the upper rail 28 is adjusted within the sliding position fixing region E, the upper rail 28 will not reach the locking mechanism 30. In other words, the locking mechanism 30 will not impair the comfort of the occupant seated in the seat 16.

[0029] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3(B), when the position of the seat 16 is being adjusted by an occupant seated in the seat 16 (when the slide lock mechanism that fixes the position of the seat 16 is unlocked), for example, when the driver applies the brakes suddenly or when the vehicle 12 is involved in a frontal collision (during emergency deceleration of the vehicle 12), the resulting inertial force exceeding a threshold will cause the seat 16 to move forward (against the will of the occupant seated in the seat 16) beyond the sliding position fixing region E.

[0030] As a result, the inertial force exceeding that threshold causes the roll 38 to roll forward, moving forward while contacting the lower surface 34A of the upper wall 34 of the stopper 32, and raising the upper wall 34. As a result, as shown in Figure 3(C), the locking portion 33 formed at the front end of the upper wall 34 rises so as to protrude onto the virtual extension line of the upper rail 28's movement trajectory toward the front, causing the front end 28D of the upper rail 28 (see Figure 2(A)) to come into contact with the locking portion 33, preventing the upper rail 28 from moving any further forward.

[0031] Thus, according to the seat rail structure 10 of this embodiment, even if an inertial force exceeding a threshold acts forward on the seat 16, which is slidably supported via an upper rail 28 on a long lower rail 22 which is a long slide rail, when the slide lock is released, it is always possible to prevent the seat 16 from moving forward beyond a predetermined position, and a predetermined distance from the seat back of the front seat 14 can always be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an occupant seated on the seat 16 from colliding with the seat back of the front seat 14, and the safety of that occupant can be ensured.

[0032] Furthermore, since the locking mechanism 30 of the seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment is a mechanism that operates automatically mainly when the vehicle 12 is decelerating in an emergency, for example, when passengers get in and out of the third seat 18 or when loading luggage, there is no need to perform the troublesome work of removing a stopper as in the conventional method, and the seat 16 can be easily moved to a position that is too close to the front seat 14 (a sliding position that cannot be fixed and is not moved when the seat 16 is normally seated).

[0033] In other words, the seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment allows occupants to quickly and easily get in and out of the third seat 18, and is highly convenient when arranging the seats. Furthermore, the locking mechanism 30 of the seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment automatically returns to its original state when the forward inertial force disappears (the roll 38 rolls backward due to the inclined surface 26A of the regulating base 26, and the upper wall 34 of the stopper 32 lowers), so there is no need to perform the troublesome work of installing a stopper as in the conventional method.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the seat rail structure 10 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 12 is stopped on a slope that is tilted forward, the locking mechanism 30 is also activated when adjusting the position of the seat 16. As a result, the occupant seated on the seat 16 can maintain a predetermined distance from the seat back of the front seat 14, preventing collision with the seat back of the front seat 14. In other words, the safety of the occupant is ensured even in such situations.

[0035] The seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment has been described above based on the drawings. However, the seat rail structure 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the illustrated version, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the roll 38 may be formed in a cylindrical shape. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 10 Seat rail structure 12 vehicles 16 sheets 20 floors 22 Lower Rail 28 Upper Rail 30 Locking mechanism 32 Stopper 33 Locking part 34 Upper wall 35. Bending section 36 Back wall 38 rolls

Claims

[Claim 1] Lower rails installed on the floor of the vehicle, An upper rail to which the seat is attached and which is slidably supported on the lower rail, A locking mechanism provided on the vehicle front side of the area in the lower rail where the seat can be fixed in a sliding position, Equipped with, The locking mechanism is A stopper formed in a roughly "L" shape by an upper wall extending forward of the vehicle and a rear wall extending downward of the vehicle in a side view, with a bent portion that forms the boundary between the upper wall and the rear wall being supported so as to be rotatable in the vehicle width direction as an axial direction, A roll is positioned between the upper wall and the rear wall with the vehicle width direction as its axial direction, and which rolls toward the front of the vehicle due to inertial force, thereby raising the upper wall. It has, The front end of the upper wall is a locking portion that is bent to extend upward toward the vehicle. A seat rail structure configured such that when the upper rail moves forward of the vehicle beyond the sliding position fixing region due to the aforementioned inertial force, the locking portion of the raised upper wall prevents the upper rail from moving.

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