Seat back upholstery and vehicle seats

Abstract

To obtain a seat back skin which enables a back surface of a seat back to be recessed to the seat front side and can be attached easily.SOLUTION: A seat back skin 26 has: a skin body 28 which is attached to a seat back pad of a vehicle seat and has a back surface part 28A forming a back surface of a seat back 14 and in which a seat back spring 20 is disposed at the seat front side of the back surface part 28A; an engagement piece 32 which extends from the back surface part 28A to the seat front side and extends in a seat lateral direction; and a rubber band 38 which is disposed at the seat front side relative to the seat back spring 20 and in which an upper end is engaged with the engagement piece 32 and a J hook 40 provided at a lower end hooks on the seat back spring 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and particularly to a seatback skin which is the skin of a seatback. [Background Art]

[0002] In the vehicle seat disclosed in the following Patent Document 1, a trim cover, which is the skin of the seatback, includes a center rear cover constituting a central portion of a rear surface of the seatback, and side rear covers constituting both side portions in a seat width direction of the rear surface of the seatback. A J hook to be locked to a seatback frame is provided at an overlapped portion where the center rear cover and the side rear cover are sewn in an overlapping state. At least one of the overlapped portion and the J hook, and the seatback frame are connected by a suppressing portion that suppresses movement of the overlapped portion. The suppressing portion includes a connecting trim cover sewn to the overlapped portion, and a clip that locks the connecting trim cover to the seatback frame. In this vehicle seat, the rear surface of the seatback is curved to be recessed toward the front side of the seat, thereby improving the appearance of the seatback, and reducing the thickness of the seatback to increase the foot space in a rear seat. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-199252 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned prior art, the operation of locking the J hook and the clip to the seatback frame in a narrow space at the back of the seatback is complicated, so there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of facilitating attachment of the seatback skin.

[0005] In consideration of the above facts, the present invention aims to provide a seat back surface that can be recessed toward the front of the seat and is easy to install, as well as a vehicle seat equipped therewith. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The seat back cover of the first embodiment comprises a cover body which is placed over the seat back pad of a vehicle seat and has a back portion which constitutes the back of the seat back, with the seat back spring positioned in front of the back portion of the seat; a locking piece which extends from the back portion toward the front of the seat and extends in the left-right direction of the seat; and a strip-shaped member which is positioned on the front side of the seat relative to the spring, with its upper end being locked to the locking piece and a hooking portion provided at its lower end being hooked onto the spring.

[0007] In the first embodiment of the seat back cover, the cover body, which is placed over the seat back pad of a vehicle seat, has a back portion that constitutes the back of the seat back. The seat back spring is positioned at the front of this back portion. A locking piece extends from this back portion toward the front of the seat, extending in the left-right direction of the seat. The upper end of a strip-shaped member is locked to this locking piece. This strip-shaped member is positioned on the front side of the seat relative to the spring, and a hook portion provided at its lower end is hooked onto the seat back spring. This allows the locking piece to be locked onto the seat back spring via the strip-shaped member, and the back of the seat back formed by the back portion can be recessed toward the front of the seat. Moreover, when attaching the seat back cover, it is easy to attach because the strip-shaped member is positioned on the front side of the seat relative to the spring and the hook portion is hooked onto the spring.

[0008] The seat back covering of the second embodiment comprises two locking pieces, upper and lower, arranged spaced apart in the vertical direction of the seat, the upper end of the strip-shaped member being locked to the upper locking piece, and the middle portion of the strip-shaped member in the vertical direction being inserted through a through hole formed in the lower locking piece.

[0009] In the second embodiment of the seat back surface, two locking pieces, one upper and one lower, extend from the back surface in the left-right direction of the seat toward the front of the seat. The upper end of a strip-shaped member is locked to the upper locking piece. This strip-shaped member is positioned toward the front of the seat relative to the spring, and the middle portion of the strip-shaped member in the vertical direction is inserted through a through hole formed in the lower locking piece. A hook provided at the lower end of the strip-shaped member is then hooked onto the spring of the seat back. As a result, the two locking pieces can be locked to the spring of the seat back via the strip-shaped member, and two locations on the back of the seat back, formed by the back surface, can be recessed toward the front of the seat.

[0010] The seat back cover of the third embodiment comprises a cover body which is placed over the seat back pad of a vehicle seat and has a back portion which constitutes the back of the seat back, with the seat back spring positioned in front of the back portion of the seat, and two upper and lower locking pieces which extend from the back portion toward the front of the seat and extend in the left-right direction of the seat, and each has a through hole into which a part of the spring which is curved to protrude toward the upper side of the seat is inserted.

[0011] In the third embodiment of the seat back cover, the cover body, which is placed over the seat back pad of a vehicle seat, has a back portion that constitutes the back of the seat back. The seat back spring is positioned at the front of this back portion. A locking piece extends from this back portion toward the front of the seat, extending in the left-right direction of the seat. A part of the spring, which is bent so as to protrude upward toward the seat, is inserted into a through hole formed in this locking piece. This allows the locking piece to be locked to the seat back spring, and the back of the seat back, which is formed by the back portion described above, can be recessed toward the front of the seat. Moreover, when attaching the seat back cover, it is only necessary to insert a part of the spring into the through hole of the locking piece, making attachment easy.

[0012] The seat back surface of the fourth embodiment comprises two upper and lower locking pieces that are spaced apart in the vertical direction of the seat, as in the third embodiment.

[0013] In the seat back surface of the fourth embodiment, two locking pieces, one above and one below, extend from the back surface in the left-right direction of the seat toward the front of the seat. A part of a spring that is bent to protrude upward toward the seat is inserted into a through hole formed in each locking piece. This allows the two locking pieces to be locked to the spring of the seat back, and the two locations on the back surface of the seat back, formed by the back surface described above, can be recessed toward the front of the seat.

[0014] The seat back cover of the fifth embodiment, in any one of the first to fourth embodiments, has a locking piece which is made of cloth and has a cloth portion sewn to the cover body and a core material which is made to be more rigid than the cloth portion and is attached to the cloth portion.

[0015] In the seat back surface of the fifth embodiment, since the locking piece has a core material attached to the fabric portion, the bending of the locking piece extending from the back portion can be suppressed. As a result, it becomes easier to shape the back of the seat back, which is formed by the back portion, as intended.

[0016] A vehicle seat of the sixth embodiment comprises a seat cushion on which an occupant sits, and a seat back that supports the occupant's back and has a seat back surface of any one of the first to fifth embodiments, the surface of which is covered over the pad.

[0017] In the sixth embodiment of the vehicle seat, the back of the occupant seated on the seat cushion is supported by the seat back. The seat back surface, which is made by covering the pad of this seat back with the main surface material, is of any one of the first to fifth embodiments, and therefore the aforementioned effects are obtained. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As explained above, according to the present invention, the attachment of the seatback skin is easy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a side view showing the vehicle seat according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the seatback of the vehicle seat according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a front view showing the locking piece and the belt-shaped member of the seatback skin according to the first embodiment, and a part of the spring of the seatback. [Figure 4] It is a front view showing the locking piece of the seatback skin according to the second embodiment, and a part of the spring of the seatback. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0020] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the vehicle seat 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Note that in each drawing, some reference numerals may be omitted for the purpose of making the drawings easy to read. In addition, arrows FR, LH, and UP appropriately described in each drawing indicate the front, left, and upper directions of the vehicle seat 10, respectively.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 10 according to the present embodiment includes a seat cushion 12 on which an occupant sits, a seatback 14 that supports the back of the occupant, and a headrest 16 that supports the head of the occupant.

[0022] The seat back 14 includes a seat back frame (not shown) constituting its skeleton, a seat back pad 18 (not shown in FIG. 2) which is a cushion body covered on the seat back frame, a seat back spring 20 attached to the seat back frame and elastically supporting the seat back pad 18 from the rear side, and a seat back skin 26 covering the seat back pad 18. The seat back pad 18 corresponds to the "pad" in the present invention, and the seat back spring 20 corresponds to the "spring" in the present invention.

[0023] The seat back frame is made of, for example, metal, and is connected to a seat cushion frame (not shown) that constitutes the skeleton of the seat cushion 12. The seat back pad 18 is foam-molded and formed of a foam material such as urethane foam. The seat back spring 20 is configured by combining a plurality of wire rods made of, for example, a metal spring material, and is attached to the seat back frame. As shown in FIG. 3, the seat back spring 20 has a plurality of vertically extending portions 22 arranged at intervals in the left-right direction and extending in the up-down direction, and a plurality of horizontally extending portions 24 arranged at intervals in the up-down direction and extending in the left-right direction, and has a substantially lattice shape when viewed from the front-rear direction. The plurality of horizontally extending portions 24 are bent into a substantially wave shape, and each horizontally extending portion 24 is formed with two left and right convex portions 24A that are curved to project upward.

[0024] The seat back skin 26 has a skin main body 28 formed into a bag shape by sewing a plurality of skin pieces made of, for example, cloth material, leather, and synthetic leather. The skin main body 28 is covered on the seat back pad 18 from the upper side, and the lower end portion is fixed to the seat back frame. As shown in FIG. 2, the skin main body 28 has a back surface portion 28A constituting the back surface of the seat back 14. In FIG. 2, the portion of the skin main body 28 that constitutes the front surface of the seat back 14 is schematically illustrated. Also, in FIG. 2, hatching for cross-sections of each member is omitted.

[0025] The rear portion 28A described above is provided with two upper and lower seams 30. These seams 30 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction and each extends in the left-right direction. In these seams 30, the skin pieces that make up the skin body 28 are sewn together, and the seam allowance (not shown in the reference numerals) of each skin piece protrudes toward the inside (front side) of the seat back 14. A locking piece 32 is sewn together with each of these seams 30.

[0026] The two upper and lower locking pieces 32 are made of a fabric-like material and consist of a slit cord 34 sewn into the sewing portion 30 of the outer skin body 28, and a core material 36 (see Figure 2; not shown in Figure 3) which is made to be more rigid than the slit cord 34 and attached to each slit cord 34. The upper and lower slit cords 34 each correspond to the "fabric-like portion" in this invention.

[0027] The slit cord 34 is made of a flexible, planar material such as cloth, and is in the shape of a long strip with its longitudinal side in the left-right direction. One end of the slit cord 34 in the short direction is sewn to the outer skin body 28 at the sewing section 30. A core material 36 is attached to the other end of the slit cord 34 in the short direction. The core material 36 is made of, for example, resin or metal, and is formed in the shape of a long rod with its longitudinal side in the left-right direction. The upper slit cord 34 is folded in half, for example, by being wrapped around the core material 36, and the side opposite the fold is sewn together with the sewing section 30. The other end of the lower slit cord 34 in the short direction is attached to the core material 36, for example, by sewing.

[0028] Two rubber bands 38 are attached to the other end of the upper slit cord 34 in the shorter direction via a core material 36. The left and right rubber bands 38 each correspond to the "strip-shaped member" in this invention. The left and right rubber bands 38 are long strips with their longitudinal direction in the vertical direction and are elastic. The left and right rubber bands 38 are positioned separately on the left and right sides of the seat back 14, in front of the seat back spring 20.

[0029] The upper ends of the left and right rubber bands 38 are wrapped around a core material 36 attached to the upper slit cord 34, and the portions before and after the wrapping are sewn together. In this way, the upper ends of the left and right rubber bands 38 are secured to the upper slit cord 34 via the core material 36. The upper slit cord 34 is wrapped around the uppermost of the multiple lateral extensions 24 of the seat back spring 20 from above and from the front.

[0030] The upper and lower middle portions of the left and right rubber bands 38 are positioned to contact the second and third horizontal extensions 24 from the top and the third horizontal extensions 24 from the top, respectively, from the front. J-hooks 40, which are hooks, are attached to the lower ends of each of the left and right rubber bands 38 by means of sewing or other means. Each J-hook 40 is molded from, for example, resin and has a roughly J-shape when viewed from the left to right. Each J-hook 40 is hooked onto the fourth horizontal extension 24 from the top. As a result, the lower ends of the left and right rubber bands 38 are locked to the fourth horizontal extension 24 from the top.

[0031] The lower slit cord 34 is positioned at the same height as the third horizontal extension 24 from the top. The lower slit cord 34 has two slit-shaped through holes 42 on the left and right, through which the left and right rubber bands 38 are inserted. As a result, the lower slit cord 34 is secured to the seat back spring 20 via the left and right rubber bands 38.

[0032] Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described. In the vehicle seat 10 with the above configuration, the back of the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is supported by the seat back 14. The seat back pad 18 of the seat back 14 is covered with the main body 28 of the seat back surface 26. The main body 28 of the surface 28 has a back portion 28A that constitutes the back of the seat back 14. A seat back spring 20 is positioned in front of this back portion 28A. Two upper and lower locking pieces 32 that extend in the left-right direction extend forward from this back portion 28A.

[0033] The upper locking piece 32 is secured to the upper ends of two rubber bands 38, one on the left and one on the right. The left and right rubber bands 38 are positioned in front of the multiple lateral extensions 24 of the seat back spring 20, and the vertically intermediate portions of the left and right rubber bands 38 are inserted through holes 42 formed in the lower locking piece 32. J-hooks 40 provided at the lower ends of the left and right rubber bands 38 are hooked onto the lateral extensions 24 of the seat back spring 20. This allows the two locking pieces 32 to be secured to the seat back spring 20 via the rubber bands 38, and allows two locations on the back of the seat back, formed by the back portion 28A, to be recessed towards the front of the seat.

[0034] Furthermore, when attaching the seat back cover 26, the left and right rubber bands 38 are positioned on the front side of the seat back spring 20, and the J-hooks 40 of the left and right rubber bands 38 are hooked onto the lateral extensions 24 of the seat back spring 20, making the installation easy.

[0035] In other words, for example, if two locking pieces 32, one upper and one lower, are to be locked to the seat back spring 20 using a hog ring, the work is complicated. Also, there is a concern that one of the two locking pieces 32 may be locked to the seat back spring 20 with the hog ring, and the other locking piece 32 may be forgotten. In that case, it becomes difficult to lock the other locking piece 32 afterward. Furthermore, it is preferable to lock the upper locking piece 32 as close to the seat back spring 20 as possible in order to increase the legroom for the rear seats, but in a configuration where the upper locking piece 32 is locked to the seat back spring 20 with a hog ring, it is necessary to ensure a certain distance between the upper locking piece 32 and the seat back spring 20. For this reason, it is difficult to create a shape in which the back of the seat back 14 is significantly recessed forward.

[0036] In this respect, in this embodiment, compared to the case where a hog ring is used as described above, the attachment of the seat back surface 26 becomes significantly easier. Also, since the upper and lower locking pieces 32 can be locked in close proximity to the seat back spring 20, it is easy to create a shape in which the back surface of the seat back 14 is significantly recessed forward.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the locking piece 32 has a core material 36 attached to the slit cord 34, the bending of the upper and lower locking pieces 32 extending from the back portion 28A can be suppressed. As a result, the tension of the left and right rubber bands 38 is applied uniformly in the left-right direction to the upper and lower stitched portions 30 via the core material 36 and the slit cord 34, making it easy to shape the back of the seat back 14 as intended.

[0038] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that components and operations that are essentially the same as those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0039] Figure 4 shows a front view of the upper and lower locking pieces 32 of the seat back cover 26 and a portion of the seat back spring 20 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the seat back cover 26 does not have the left and right rubber bands 38 as in the first embodiment. Instead, the upper and lower locking pieces 32 have two through holes 44 on the left and right, into which the left and right protrusions 24A provided on the lateral extension 24 of the seat back spring 20 are inserted. The left and right through holes 44 are formed in a slit shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal side.

[0040] The left and right through holes 44 of the upper locking piece 32 are inserted from below by, for example, the left and right protrusions 24A provided on the uppermost lateral extension 24. This locks the upper locking piece 32 onto the left and right protrusions 24A of the seat back spring 20. The left and right through holes 44 of the lower locking piece 32 are inserted from below by, for example, the left and right protrusions 24A provided on the third lateral extension 24 from the top. This locks the lower locking piece 32 onto the left and right protrusions 24A of the seat back spring 20. Two J-hooks 46 (hooking parts) are attached to the tips of the upper and lower locking pieces 32 by means of sewing or other means. The left and right J-hooks 46 of the upper locking piece 32 are hooked onto the left and right protrusions 24A provided on the second lateral extension 24 from the top. The left and right J-hooks 46 of the lower locking piece 32 are hooked onto the left and right protrusions 24A provided on the fourth horizontal extension 24 from the top. In this embodiment, the configuration other than that described above is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0041] In this embodiment, when attaching the seat back cover 26, the left and right protrusions 24A of the seat back spring 20 are inserted into the left and right through holes 44 formed in the upper and lower locking pieces 32. This locks (temporarily holds) the upper and lower locking pieces 32 to the seat back spring 20. Next, the left and right J-hooks 46 attached to the upper and lower locking pieces 32 are hooked onto the left and right protrusions 24A of the seat back spring 20. This allows the seat back cover 26 to be easily attached to the seat back spring 20, and the upper and lower parts of the back of the seat back 14, which are formed by the back portion 28A of the seat back cover 26, can be recessed forward. Therefore, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained in this embodiment as well.

[0042] In the above embodiments, the seat back surface 26 is configured to have two locking pieces 32, one above and one below. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the lower locking piece 32 may be omitted.

[0043] Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from its essence. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10 Vehicle seats 12 seat cushions 14 Seatback 18 Seat back pad (pad) 20 Seat back springs (springs) 24A Protrusion (part of the spring) 26 Seat back upholstery 28 Epidermis body 28A Rear part 32 locking piece 34. Slit cord (fabric part) 36 Core material 38. Rubber band (strip-shaped member) 40 J-hook (hooking part) 42 Through hole 44 Through holes

Claims

1. A surface covering body that covers the seat back pad of a vehicle seat and has a back portion that constitutes the back of the seat back, with the seat back springs positioned in front of the back portion of the seat, A locking piece extending from the rear portion toward the front of the seat and extending in the left-right direction of the seat, A strip-shaped member is positioned on the front side of the seat relative to the spring, with its upper end locked to the locking piece and its lower end having a hook portion that hooks onto the spring. Seat back surface with the following features.

2. The sheet comprises two locking pieces, one above and one below, which are spaced apart in the vertical direction of the sheet. The upper end of the strip-shaped member is locked to the upper locking piece. The seat back surface according to claim 1, wherein the vertical intermediate portion of the strip-shaped member is inserted into a through hole formed in the lower locking piece.

3. The locking piece is A cloth-like portion, constructed in a fabric-like manner and sewn to the main body of the outer layer, A core material attached to the fabric portion, which is constructed to be more rigid than the aforementioned fabric portion, A seat back surface according to claim 1 or claim 2, having the above characteristics.

4. A seat cushion on which the occupant sits, A seat back having a seat back surface according to claim 1 or claim 2, which supports the back of the occupant and the surface body is covered over the pad, A vehicle seat equipped with the following features.

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