Seat back

Abstract

To provide a seat back suppressed in deterioration of aesthetic appearance.SOLUTION: A seat back in which an arm rest is rotatably mounted on the upper part of at least one lateral face, and a reclining mechanism is mounted on the lower part of at least one lateral face can support the back part of a seated occupant. An overhang part overhanging sideways from at least one lateral face is provided between the arm rest and the reclining mechanism. The overhang part includes: a pad having elasticity and arranged on the upper part of a cover member of the reclining mechanism; a skin covering at least a part of the external surface of the pad; and a latch member to be latched to a latched portion formed at least in a part of the upper part of the cover member after the one end is attached to the skin and the other end is inserted into between the pad and the cover member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a seat back. [Background Art]

[0002] Among vehicle seats mounted on vehicles, there is known one that includes a rotatable armrest on a side surface of a seat back that is tiltably attached to a seat cushion (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-93554 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In the vehicle seat described in Patent Document 1, a gap is formed between the lower end of the armrest and the upper end of the reclining mechanism due to its structure. Since the aforementioned gap allows visibility to the rear of the vehicle seat, there are cases where it is desired to eliminate the gap from the viewpoint of maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the seat. In such cases, it is conceivable to devise the shape of the seat back so as to fill the gap. However, if the shape of the seat back is made complicated, it becomes difficult to attach the skin covering the pad that constitutes the seat accordingly. If the attachment of the skin to the pad is partially insufficient, for example, when pressure or the like from a seated occupant acts on the skin, the skin may be pulled and the end portion of the skin may separate from the pad. When such separation of the skin occurs, the pad or the like that has been covered by the skin is exposed to the outside, which impairs the aesthetic appearance of the seat back.

[0005] In view of the above points, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a seat back in which impairment of aesthetic appearance is suppressed. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, a seat back according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a seat back capable of supporting the back of a seated occupant, wherein an armrest is rotatably attached to the upper part of at least one side and a reclining mechanism is attached to the lower part of the at least one side, and the seat back includes an overhang extending laterally from the at least one side between the armrest and the reclining mechanism, the overhang comprising: an elastic pad disposed on the upper part of the cover member of the reclining mechanism; a skin covering at least a portion of the outer surface of the pad; and a fastening member, one end of which is attached to the skin and the other end which is inserted between the pad and the cover member and then fastened to a fastening portion formed on at least a portion of the upper part of the cover member.

[0007] In this type of seatback, the protruding portion fills the gap between the armrest and the reclining mechanism, making it difficult to see the space behind the seatback from the front, thus preventing the aesthetic appearance of the seatback from being compromised by the conditions behind it. Furthermore, since the surface of the protruding portion is fastened to the cover member using a fastening member, the surface will not separate from the pad even if it is pulled due to stress acting on the protruding portion. Consequently, the edges of the pad or cover member will not be exposed to the outside due to the surface separating from the pad, thus preventing the aesthetic appearance of the seatback from being compromised.

[0008] A seat back according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, in which the pad comprises an extended portion extending downward from the lower front of the protruding portion, the extended portion covering the front side of the upper part of the cover member.

[0009] In such a seat back, the upper part of the cover member is covered by the extended portion, thus protecting the upper part of the cover member from external forces and preventing it from being visible from the outside.

[0010] A seat back according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a seat back according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the fastening member is composed of a plate with one end fixed to the end of the surface material.

[0011] In such a seat back, a fastening member with a simple structure can be provided.

[0012] A seat back according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a seat back according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the fastening member is composed of a hook with one end fixed to the edge of the skin and the other end curved in a hook shape.

[0013] In such a seat back, the upholstery can be securely attached to the cover member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the sheet back of this disclosure, it is possible to suppress any deterioration in aesthetics. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is an external perspective view showing an example of a vehicle seat including a seat back according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] This is a magnified view of the main part, specifically section A of Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 3 of a seatback according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The embodiments for implementing this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, only the extent necessary to explain the objectives of this disclosure will be schematically shown, and the explanation will primarily focus on the extent necessary to explain the relevant parts of this disclosure. Any parts omitted from the explanation will be considered to be based on prior art. Furthermore, if multiple identical or equivalent components are included in the drawings, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of them for clarity.

[0017] Figure 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a vehicle seat including a seat back according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The seat back 10 according to this embodiment can function as part of a vehicle seat 1, as shown in Figure 1. This vehicle seat 1 may be usable, for example, as a rear seat of an automobile. In Figure 1, arrow FR indicates the front side of the seat, arrow UP indicates the upper side of the seat, and arrow W indicates the width direction of the seat. Here, the direction to the right when facing the front of the seat is defined as "right side of the seat," and the direction to the left is defined as "left side of the seat." Furthermore, in this embodiment, the front side, upper side, and width direction of the vehicle seat 1 are assumed to substantially coincide with the front side, upper side, and width direction of the vehicle.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle seat 1 may mainly consist of a seat cushion 2 capable of supporting the buttocks and thighs of the seated occupant, and a seat back 10 capable of supporting the back of the seated occupant. The seat cushion 2 may consist of, for example, a metal cushion frame and a cushion pad whose outer surface is covered with a skin. The vehicle seat 1 may be able to slide in the front-rear direction relative to the floor by attaching the cushion frame to a sliding mechanism 3.

[0019] The seat back 10 may include a seat back body 11 that mainly consists of a metal back frame and a pad material or elastic body that supports the back of the seated occupant. A headrest 12, whose height can be adjusted in stages, may be attached to approximately the center of the upper end of the seat back body 11.

[0020] The seatback main body 11 may comprise: a main body pad 13 disposed on the front side of the seat, the main body pad 13 being made of a flexible material having elasticity such as polyurethane foam; and a main body skin 14 covering the outer surface of the main body pad 13, particularly at least the surface located on the front side of the seat, the main body skin 14 being made of leather or the like. In addition, a rear cover 15 made of a material having certain rigidity such as metal or foamed polypropylene may be provided on the rear side of the seat.

[0021] Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of an essential part, which is an enlargement of section A in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, an armrest 20 may be rotatably attached to a side surface of the seatback main body 11, for example, an upper portion of the left side surface. The term "upper portion" used herein means a position that is upper than a position where a reclining mechanism 30 described later is installed.

[0022] For the armrest 20, a rotating shaft 21 provided at one end of the armrest 20 and extending in the seat width direction may be rotatably fixed to a substantially central portion in the vertical direction of the left side surface of the seatback main body 11. The armrest 20 can be used by being rotated between a use position that is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the seat cushion 2 and a storage position that is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the seatback 10. Further, the rear cover 15 of the seatback main body 11 may extend behind the armrest 20.

[0023] A reclining mechanism 30 for tilting the seatback main body 11 relative to the seat cushion 2 may be provided on a side surface of the seatback main body 11, for example, at lower portions of the left and right side surfaces of the seatback main body 11. The reclining mechanism 30 is attached between a lower end portion of the seatback main body 11 and a rear end portion of the seat cushion 2, and can be configured as a mechanism capable of tiltably supporting the seatback main body 11 in multiple steps. A well-known mechanism formed by combining metal arms, brackets, cams and the like can be employed for the reclining mechanism 30, and the specific configuration is not particularly limited.

[0024] The reclining mechanism 30 includes a cover member 32 that covers its outside. This cover member 32 can be made of, for example, synthetic resin. The cover member 32 may be molded in a shape that can cover the entire outer circumference of each component of the reclining mechanism 30, such as a metal arm or a rotating shaft, so that these components are not visible from the outside. The upper part of this cover member 32 is the part that faces the protruding part 40, which will be described later, and therefore may be an opening. At least a part of the upper part of the cover member 32 formed by this opening may be provided with a hooking portion 33 to which a hooking member 44, which will be described later, can be hooked. In this embodiment, the hooking portion 33 is exemplified as being defined by the upper front edge of the cover member 32.

[0025] A predetermined gap is provided between the upper end of the cover member 32 of the reclining mechanism 30, which is located on the left side of the seat back body 11, and the lower end of the armrest 20. In this embodiment, the seat back body 11 is provided with a protruding portion 40 that substantially fills this gap.

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the BB line in Figure 2. The protruding portion 40 is provided in the gap between the armrest 20 and the reclining mechanism 30 described above, and may be a portion that protrudes laterally from the left side of the seat back body 11, more specifically outward along the seat width direction (more specifically, to the left side of the seat). As shown in Figure 3, this protruding portion 40 includes a protruding portion pad 41 as an example of a pad, a protruding portion surface 43 as an example of a surface covering that covers at least a part of the outer surface of the protruding portion pad 41, and a fastening member 44 with one end attached to the protruding portion surface 43.

[0027] The protruding pad 41 can be made of an elastic and flexible material such as foamed polyurethane. More specifically, the protruding pad 41 can be made of the same material as the main body pad 13, for example, and molded integrally with the main body pad 13. The upper surface of the protruding pad 41 may face the lower end of the armrest 20 with a small gap between them, and the lower surface may face the upper end of the cover member 32 of the reclining mechanism 30 with a small gap between them.

[0028] Furthermore, it is preferable that the front surface of the protruding pad 41 includes an extended portion 42 that extends downward from its lower part by a predetermined length. This extended portion 42 covers the upper part of the front side of the cover member 32, thereby protecting the latching portion 33 formed on the upper part of the cover member 32 from external forces, and also maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the seat back 10 by preventing the upper part of the cover member 32 from being visible from the front side of the seat back 10.

[0029] The protruding portion surface 43 can be made of the same material as the main body surface 14, for example, and can be an integral part of the main body surface 14, or connected to the main body surface 14 by sewing. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the protruding portion surface 43 may cover the outer surface of the protruding portion pad 41, excluding the rear surface covered by the rear cover 15 and a part of the lower surface facing the cover member 32. In addition, the protruding portion surface 43 may be formed by sewing together three-dimensionally cut leather in order to conform to the shape of the outer surface of the protruding portion pad 41.

[0030] The latching member 44 has one end attached to the protruding portion surface 43, and the other end is inserted into the gap between the protruding portion pad 41 and the cover member 32, after which it is latched onto the latching portion 33 formed on the cover member 32. The latching member 44 according to this embodiment can be made of a flat plate extending in the width direction of the sheet, as shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, the plate can be made of a material having a certain degree of rigidity, such as synthetic resin.

[0031] The fastening member 44 in this embodiment is composed of a rectangular plate having a long side extending in the width direction of the sheet. One of the long sides of the fastening member 44 may function as a fixed end 44A that is attached to the protruding part surface 43 by sewing or the like, and the other of the long sides of the fastening member 44 may function as a fastening end 44B that is fastened to the fastened part 33.

[0032] When fixing the end of the protruding part skin 43 using the fastening member 44 having the above-described configuration, the following procedure can be followed, for example. First, the fastening member 44 is placed on the end surface of the front portion of the protruding part skin 43, which has been pre-formed to match the shape of the protruding part pad 41. At this time, the fastening member 44 should be positioned so that the edge of the front portion of the protruding part skin 43 and the long side of the fixed end 44A of the fastening member 44 overlap. Next, the fixed end 44A of the fastening member 44 and the protruding part skin 43 are fixed together by sewing them, for example, with thread.

[0033] Then, after positioning the protruding portion surface 43 to cover the protruding portion pad 41, the fastening member 44, to which the protruding portion surface 43 is sewn, is inserted into the gap formed between the rear surface of the extended portion 42 of the protruding portion pad 41 and the front surface of the cover member 32. At this time, the fastening member 44 should be inserted with the fixed end 44A side as the tip and the side of the fastening member 44 on which the protruding portion surface 43 is not attached facing the cover member 32. After continuing this insertion until the fastening end 44B of the fastening member 44 passes the fastened portion 33 of the cover member 32, the insertion operation is completed, and the fastening member 44 is pushed back in the opposite direction to the insertion direction by the elastic force of the protruding portion pad 41. At this time, the hooked portion 33 is inserted into the gap formed between the hooking end 44B of the hooking member 44 and the protruding portion surface 43, thereby hooking the hooking member 44, and fixing the end of the protruding portion surface 43 to the upper part of the cover member 32.

[0034] As described above, the protruding part skin 43, which is fixed to the upper part of the cover member 32 by the latching member 44, will not detach from the protruding part pad 41 even when pressure from a seated occupant is applied. Specifically, for example, if stress (load) is generated from the front to the rear of the protruding part 40 when a seated occupant sits down, this stress acts to press the fixed end 44A of the latching member 44 backward via the protruding part pad 41, and does not act in a direction that would release the latch between the latching end 44B and the latched part 33. Therefore, the latching structure between the latching member 44 and the latched part 33 will not be released. Furthermore, because the latching end 44B and the latched part 33 are latched, the protruding part skin 43 will not detach from the protruding part pad 41 even when the protruding part skin 43 is pulled downward.

[0035] As described above, according to the seat back 10 of this embodiment, by providing an overhang 40 between the armrest 20 and the reclining mechanism 30, the space behind the seat back 10 is no longer visible from between the armrest 20 and the reclining mechanism 30, and the aesthetic appearance of the seat back 10 is not compromised. Furthermore, since the overhang surface 43 is fixed to the upper part of the cover member 32 using a fastening member 44, the overhang surface 43 will not separate from the overhang pad 41 due to external forces, etc. This prevents the aesthetic appearance of the seat back 10 from being compromised by the overhang pad 41 or the edges of the cover member 32 being exposed to the outside. In addition, in the seat back 10 described above, a structure is adopted in which the front edge of the overhang surface 43 is fastened to the upper part of the cover member 32, so that no gap is formed between the overhang 40 and the cover member 32, and the maintenance of aesthetic appearance can be stably achieved.

[0036] In the embodiment described above, the front edge of the upper part of the cover member 32 is designated as the hooking portion 33, and the hooking member 44 is fixed to the end of the front portion of the protruding part skin 43 to hook the two together. However, the hooking position is not limited to this. Specifically, for example, instead of or in addition to the above-described hooking structure, the hooking portion may be provided on the side or rear of the upper part of the cover member 32, and the hooking member may be fixed to the end of the side or rear surface of the protruding part skin 43.

[0037] In the seat back 10 according to one embodiment described above, a case in which a plate is used as the fastening member 44 was exemplified, but the shape of the fastening member is not limited to the plate described above.Therefore, below, a seat back 10A using a fastening member 45 with a different shape from the fastening member 44 described above will be described as an example of another embodiment.

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a seat back according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, corresponding to Figure 3. The seat back 10A according to the other embodiment may be identical to the seat back 10 according to the first embodiment described above, except that the shape of the fastening member 45 included in the protruding portion 40A differs, as shown in Figure 4. Therefore, only the part of the seat back 10A according to the other embodiment related to the fastening member 45 will be described below, and the other configurations will be based on the description of the seat back 10 according to the first embodiment described above.

[0039] The latching member 45 included in the protruding portion 40A of this embodiment can be made of a hook, as shown in Figure 4, with one end fixed to the end of the protruding portion surface 43 and the other end curved in a hook shape. More specifically, the latching member 45 of this embodiment can be made of a J-hook, with one end forming a fixed end 45A with the protruding portion surface 43 and the other end functioning as a latching end 45B for latching onto the latched portion 33. The above-mentioned hook can be made of a material having a certain rigidity, such as synthetic resin or metal.

[0040] When fixing the end of the protruding part skin 43 using the latching member 45 having the above-described configuration, the following procedure can be followed, for example. First, the fixing end 45A of the latching member 45 is placed on one side of the end of the front portion of the protruding part skin 43, which has been pre-formed to match the shape of the protruding part pad 41, and the two are sewn together and fixed using, for example, thread. Then, after positioning the protruding part skin 43 to cover the protruding part pad 41, the latching member 45 to which the protruding part skin 43 is sewn is inserted into the gap formed between the rear surface of the extended portion 42 of the protruding part pad 41 and the front surface of the cover member 32. At this time, it is preferable to insert the latching member 45 in a position where the hook-shaped curved portion of the latching end 45B faces the cover member 32. Then, the insertion is continued until the hooking end 45B of the hooking member 45 passes the hooked portion 33 of the cover member 32. Once the insertion is complete, the hooking member 45 is pushed back in the opposite direction to the insertion direction by the elastic force of the protruding portion pad 41. At this time, the hooking end 45B of the hooking member 45 is hooked onto the hooked portion 33, and the end of the protruding portion surface 43 is fixed to the upper part of the cover member 32.

[0041] Even when the latching member 45 is used, the protruding part surface 43 can be firmly supported without its end detaching from the protruding part pad 41, similar to the latching member 44 described above. Furthermore, because the latching end 45B of the latching member 45 is curved in a hook shape, the latching with the latched part 33 can be stably maintained. Thus, the seat back 10A including the latching member 45 described above can be expected to produce the same effects as the seat back 10 described above.

[0042] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. All such modifications are included in the technical concept of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1. Vehicle seat 2 seat cushions 10, 10A Seatback 11 Seat back body 13 Main unit pad 14 Main body epidermis 20 Armrest 30 Reclining Mechanism 32 Cover component 33 Latched part 40, 40A overhang 41. Protruding part pad (an example of a pad) 42 Extension part 43. Epidermis of the protruding portion (an example of epidermis) 44, 45 Locking members

Claims

1. A seat back capable of supporting the back of a seated occupant, wherein an armrest is rotatably attached to the upper part of at least one side, and a reclining mechanism is attached to the lower part of the at least one side, The armrests, which are arranged vertically, are provided with an overhang that extends laterally from at least one side to fill the gap formed between the lower end of the armrests and the upper end of the reclining mechanism, and the overhang is provided with an overhang that extends laterally from at least one side. An elastic pad is provided on the upper part of the cover member of the reclining mechanism, A skin covering at least a portion of the outer surface of the pad, The device comprises a fastening member, one end of which is attached to the outer skin, and the other end of which is inserted between the pad and the cover member and then fastened to a fastening portion formed on at least a part of the upper part of the cover member. Seat back.

2. The pad comprises an extended portion extending downward from the lower front surface of the protruding portion, and the extended portion covers the front side of the upper part of the cover member. The seat back according to claim 1.

3. The latching member consists of a plate with one end fixed to the end of the skin. A seat back according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The fastening member consists of a hook at one end fixed to the edge of the skin and a hook at the other end that is curved in a hook shape. A seat back according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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