Vehicle seat

Abstract

This vehicle seat comprises a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat back comprises a seat cover, an interior member, and a shock-absorbing member. The seat cover forms the exterior of the seat back. The interior member is housed inside the seat cover. The shock-absorbing member is used in order to satisfy interior fitting regulations, and is disposed between the interior member and the seat cover as more toward the vehicle rear than the interior member. The shock-absorbing member is composed of a single member made of a nonwoven fabric formed from thermoplastic chemical fibers, and is formed so as to have a Shore A hardness of at least 50 and a radius of curvature of at least 3.2 mm.

Description

Vehicle seats

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat.

[0002] A vehicle seat includes a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat back includes a seat back frame, a seat back pad, and a seat cover. Interior components such as couplers and lumbar supports are arranged on the rear side of the seat back pad in the seat back. These interior components may have sharp corners.

[0003] Various efforts have been made to protect vehicle seats (especially the head and leg areas) in the event of a vehicle collision. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration having a protective protrusion disposed on the back side of a C-ring for fixing a seat cover to a seat back pad. The protective protrusion is made of a foam material and is integrally formed with a felt layer attached to the back surface of the seat back pad.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration having a cushioning member disposed between a seat back frame and a seat cover. The cushioning member is configured by bonding two layers, each made of rubber or the like. Patent Document 2 also discloses that the hardness (Shore A hardness) of the cushioning member is set to 50 or more.

[0005] The vehicle seats disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are designed to protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision by arranging protective protrusions, buffer members, etc. between the interior member and the seat cover.

[0006] However, there is room for improvement in terms of reducing manufacturing costs for the vehicle seats disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Specifically, the vehicle seats disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have cushioning members and the like that are constructed by combining multiple members, which is thought to lead to an increase in manufacturing costs.

[0007] Patent No. 3407008 Patent No. 6565722

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle seat that can protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs.

[0009] A vehicle seat according to one aspect of the present invention includes a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat back includes a seat cover that forms the exterior of the seat back, an interior member housed inside the seat cover, and a shock-absorbing member. The shock-absorbing member is a member for preventing an internal collision, disposed between the interior member and the seat cover and rearward of the interior member.

[0010] In the vehicle seat according to this aspect, the cushioning member is a single member made of a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers, and is configured to have a Shore A hardness of 50 or more and a radius of curvature of 3.2 mm or more.

[0011] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a cushioning member; Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of a cushioning member provided in a vehicle seat according to a comparative example; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of a cushioning member and a seat cover provided in a vehicle seat according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a top view showing the configuration of a locking component; Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the configuration of a cushioning member provided in a vehicle seat according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments except for the essential configuration.

[0013] In addition, in the figures used in the following explanation, the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is indicated by "FR", the rear by "RR", the left in the lateral direction of the vehicle by "LH", the right by "RH", the top in the vertical direction of the vehicle by "UP", and the bottom by "LO".

[0014] [First embodiment] 1. Configuration of vehicle seat 1 The configuration of a vehicle seat 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Note that this embodiment uses, as an example, a vehicle seat 1 for a front seat placed in the front part of a vehicle compartment. Also, Fig. 1 illustrates only the seat back of the vehicle seat 1, and does not illustrate the seat cushion.

[0015] 1, the seat back of the vehicle seat 1 includes a seat back frame 10, a seat back pad 11, a seat cover 12, and a cushioning member 13. The seat back of the vehicle seat 1 also includes various interior components 14 to 17 arranged on a back surface 10a of the seat back frame 10, and an airbag 18 arranged on a side surface 10b of the seat back frame 10.

[0016] The seat back pad 11 is disposed so as to cover the front surface 10 c , the side surface 10 b , and the top surface 10 d of the seat back frame 10 .

[0017] The seat cover 12 is arranged to cover the seat back frame 10, the seat back pad 11, the cushioning member 13, various interior members 14 to 17, and the airbag 18.

[0018] The interior member designated by reference numeral 14 is a ventilation device, the interior member designated by reference numeral 15 is a lumbar support, the interior member designated by reference numeral 16 is a lumbar motor, and the interior member designated by reference numeral 17 is a wire harness. Of these, the ventilation device 14, the lumbar support 15, and the lumbar motor 16 each have a corner that protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0019] The buffer member 13 is a single member made of nonwoven fabric made of plastic chemical fibers and has a generally flat plate shape. The detailed configuration of the buffer member 13 will be described later.

[0020] A fixing member 19 is joined to the lower part of the buffer member 13. The fixing member 19 is a member for fixing the buffer member 13 to a seat cushion frame (not shown), and is formed of a rubber band, for example.

[0021] 2. Structure of the cushioning member 13 The structure of the cushioning member 13 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of a cushioning member 93 in a vehicle seat according to a comparative example. The cushioning member 93 of the comparative example is made of felt.

[0022] 2, the cushioning member 13 has a rounded rectangular shape in a plan view from the front-rear direction of the vehicle (a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2). The cushioning member 13 has a recessed portion 13c in a lower portion thereof. The recessed portion 13c is provided to avoid interference with a footlight disposed below the vehicle seat 1.

[0023] The buffer member 13 is integrally formed with a body 13a having a rounded rectangular shape in a plan view, wing portions 13b protruding from the left and right sides of the body 13a, and legs 13d extending downward from the bottom of the body 13a on both the left and right sides of the recessed portion 13c.

[0024] As described above, the fixing members 19 are joined to the left and right leg portions 13d. The fixing members 19 are joined to the leg portions 13d by sewing at the portions indicated by arrows A.

[0025] The lower part of the body 13a and the leg parts 13d of the buffer member 13 are configured as high-hardness parts 13e that are harder than the other parts. In other words, the upper part of the body 13a and the wing parts 13b are formed as low-hardness parts that are harder than the other parts.

[0026] Here, the cushioning member 13 of this embodiment is a member that is integrally formed using a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers, and is configured to have a Shore A hardness of 50 or more and a radius of curvature of 3.2 mm or more.

[0027] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, the cushioning member 93 of the comparative example is constructed by sewing together a main body member 930 made of felt and a wing member 931 also made of felt at a sewing portion Ls.

[0028] The cushioning member 93 of the comparative example also includes a hard felt member 932 and a PP (polypropylene) plate 933 joined to the main body member 930. The hard felt member 932 is made of a felt that is harder than the felt that constitutes the main body member 930, and is arranged in a portion that covers the corners of the interior member. This prevents the corners of the interior member from wrinkling the surface of the seat cover during a vehicle collision.

[0029] The PP plate 933 is disposed in a portion where a crane claw comes into contact when the vehicle seat equipped with the buffer member 93 is transported. That is, the PP plate 933 prevents indentations from being made by the crane claw that is inserted between the seat back and the seat cushion when the vehicle seat is transported.

[0030] Furthermore, the cushioning member 93 of the comparative example also has PP plates 934 fixed to the legs. The PP plates 934 are provided for attaching fixing members such as rubber bands.

[0031] In this way, the cushioning member 93 of the comparative example is configured by combining multiple components 930 to 934. Therefore, manufacturing the cushioning member 93 of the comparative example requires preparing multiple components and performing complicated processes such as sewing to join the multiple components together. Therefore, the comparative example increases manufacturing costs.

[0032] In contrast, the cushioning member 13 of this embodiment is made of a single member in which the wing portion 13b and the high hardness portion 13e are integrally formed with the body portion 13a, and therefore, it is possible to suppress the increase in manufacturing costs that occurs with the cushioning member 93 of the comparative example shown in Figure 3.

[0033] Furthermore, the buffer member 13 has a high hardness portion 13e at the portion where the PP plate 933 was joined as a countermeasure against dents in the buffer member 93 of the comparative example, so there is no need to join a separate part, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dents while reducing manufacturing costs and achieve high appearance quality.

[0034] Furthermore, in the buffer member 13 of this embodiment, the fixing member 19 is directly bonded to the leg portion 13d without bonding a PP plate 934 as in the buffer member 93 of the comparative example, which also contributes to reducing manufacturing costs.

[0035] 3. Method for forming the cushioning member 13 The cushioning member 13 employed in the vehicle seat 1 of this embodiment is integrally formed using a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers. As the nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers, for example, a spunbond nonwoven fabric made of polyester continuous fibers, in which continuous fibers are entangled with each other, is preferable.

[0036] The high hardness portion 13e and the other portions of the buffer member 13 can be made differently by controlling the heating temperature during manufacturing.

[0037] Specifically, the portions heated to a higher temperature during thermoforming have a higher hardness after cooling, while the portions heated to a lower temperature have a lower hardness after cooling. Thus, the portions where high-hardness portions 13e (see FIG. 2) are to be formed are heated at a higher temperature, while the other portions are heated at a lower temperature. Thus, by controlling the heating temperature during heating, the hardness can be controlled for each portion.

[0038] In addition, since the leg portion 13d is also formed to have a high hardness, it is possible to join it by sewing a fixing member (such as a rubber band) 19 directly, without joining a PP plate 934 as in the comparative example shown in Figure 3.

[0039] 4. Effects The vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment employs the cushioning member 13, which is a single member made of nonwoven fabric, and therefore the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced compared to when the cushioning member 93, which is made by joining multiple members as in the comparative example shown in FIG. 3 , is employed, thereby enabling reductions in manufacturing costs.

[0040] Furthermore, the vehicle seat 1 has a Shore A hardness of 50 or more and a radius of curvature of 3.2 mm or more, so it satisfies the regulations for protrusions in vehicle interiors, which state that "the area where the head or leg model comes into contact and has a hardness of 50 or more Shore A must have a radius of 2.5 or 3.2 mm or more." Therefore, the vehicle seat 1 can protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs.

[0041] Furthermore, in the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment, the cushioning member 13 has wing portions 13b that bulge out on both the left and right sides of the trunk portion 13a. This allows the vehicle seat 1 to widely cover the edges of the seatback frame 10 and various interior components 14 to 17. This allows the vehicle seat 1 to more reliably protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0042] Furthermore, in the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment, the trunk portion 13a, wing portions 13b, and leg portions 13d are integrally formed, so that a wide range of interior components 14-17 can be covered without joining together multiple felt pieces (components 930, 931, 932) as in the cushioning member 93 of the comparative example shown in FIG. 3 . This is because the cushioning member 13 in the vehicle seat 1 is formed using a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers. Furthermore, using a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers makes it easy to mold the cushioning member 13 into any shape. The cushioning member 13 in the vehicle seat 1 is configured by focusing on the ease of processing (ease of hardness control) of such a nonwoven fabric made of easily moldable thermoplastic chemical fibers.

[0043] Furthermore, the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment has a high hardness portion 13e formed in the portion extending from the trunk portion 13a to the leg portion 13d, and other portions formed with a low hardness. By employing the cushioning member 13 having a high hardness portion 13e in a portion thereof, it is possible to attach other members without providing separate reinforcing members (PP plates 933, 934) as in the comparative example of FIG. 3, and it is possible to prevent scratches and the like from occurring during manufacturing.

[0044] Furthermore, in the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment, the high hardness portion 13e of the cushioning member 13 is positioned so as to cover the corners of the interior members 14 to 17, thereby preventing wrinkles from forming on the surface of the seat cover 12 due to the corners of the interior members 14 to 17 during a vehicle collision.

[0045] Furthermore, in the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment, the cushioning member 13 is formed using a thermoforming method, so that various shapes can be realized with a single member, and the hardness of each location can be controlled with high precision by the heating temperature.

[0046] As described above, the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment can protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs.

[0047] Second Embodiment A vehicle seat according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

[0048] The vehicle seat according to this embodiment is characterized by the configuration of the cushioning member 23 and the manner in which the seat cover 12 is attached to the cushioning member 23. Therefore, only these characteristic features will be described below, and descriptions of other features will be omitted. The same configuration as in the first embodiment will be adopted for the parts for which descriptions will be omitted.

[0049] 4, the buffer member 23 of this embodiment has two through holes (slits) 23a. The two slits 23a are provided in the body portion and are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0050] The seat cover 12 has a locking member 24 attached to the inner surface thereof facing the buffer member 23, at a portion corresponding to the two slits 23a. In this embodiment, the locking member 24 is made of a processed PP plate.

[0051] 5, the locking member 24 is integrally formed with a main body plate portion 24a extending in the left-right direction, arm plate portions 24b protruding forward from each end of the main body plate portion 24a, and locking claws 24c provided at the tip portion of each arm plate portion 24b. The locking claws 24c are formed on the inside of each arm plate portion 24b in the left-right direction.

[0052] The seat cover 12 can be attached to the cushioning member 23 in the following order.

[0053] (i) The locking member 24 is attached to a predetermined location of the seat cover 12 by sewing.

[0054] (ii) The seat cover 12 is placed over the cushioning member 23 .

[0055] (iii) The arm plate portion 24b of the locking member 24 is inserted into the slit 23a of the buffer member 23 and locked by the locking claw 24c.

[0056] The vehicle seat according to this embodiment includes the buffer member 23 and the locking member 24 having the above-described configuration, and the seat cover 12 is attached to the buffer member 23 in the above-described manner.

[0057] The vehicle seat according to this embodiment can achieve the same effects as the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the vehicle seat according to this embodiment, the buffer member 23 has a slit 23a that is used for engagement with the locking member 24. Since the seat cover 12 is fixed to the locking member 24, the seat cover 12 can be attached to the buffer member 23 simply by engaging the arm plate portion 24b of the locking member 24 with the slit 23a. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to this embodiment does not require the seat cover 12 to be fixed to the buffer member 23 by sewing or the like, which improves workability when manufacturing the vehicle seat and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0058] Third Embodiment A vehicle seat according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows only the cushioning member 33 of the vehicle seat according to this embodiment.

[0059] The vehicle seat according to this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the locations where the high hardness portion 33b and the low hardness portion 33c are formed in the cushioning member 33. Therefore, only these different portions will be described below, and descriptions of other portions will be omitted. The portions for which descriptions will be omitted have the same configuration as the first embodiment.

[0060] 6, the cushioning member 33 of this embodiment has two high-hardness portions 33b and one low-hardness portion 33c in a body portion 33a. The cushioning member 33 of this embodiment is also formed using a thermoforming method, and the high-hardness portions 33b and the low-hardness portion 33c are provided by controlling the heating temperature.

[0061] When the portion of the body 33a excluding the high hardness portion 33b and the low hardness portion 33c is used as a reference, the high hardness portion 33b is formed to have a Shore A hardness of 50 or more, and the low hardness portion 33c is formed to have a Shore A hardness that is 10% to 20% lower than that of the high hardness portion 33b. In this embodiment, the low hardness portion 33c is also formed to have a Shore A hardness of 50 or more.

[0062] The high hardness portion 33b of the body portion 33a of the buffer member 33 is formed in a position that covers the rear of the edge portion of the seat back frame 10 and the coupler that is an interior member.

[0063] The low hardness portion 33c of the body portion 33a of the buffer member 33 is formed in a position that covers the rear of the curved portion of the lower part of the seat back.

[0064] The vehicle seat according to this embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. In addition, the vehicle seat according to this embodiment can protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision by providing the high-hardness portion 33b in a portion that covers the rear, such as an edge portion, of the seatback frame 10.

[0065] Furthermore, in the vehicle seat according to this embodiment, the low hardness portion 33c of the cushioning member 33 is arranged in the curved portion at the bottom of the seat back, so that the cushioning member 33 can be adjusted to match the curvature of the curved portion of the seat back, thereby achieving excellent appearance quality.

[0066] [Modifications] In the first to third embodiments, the cushioning members 13, 23, and 33 have the wing portions 13b, but the wing portions are not essential to the present invention. Even in this case, by increasing the size of the trunk portion in the left-right direction, even if an edge portion is present in the seat back frame, the edge portion can be covered by the trunk portion.

[0067] In the second embodiment, linear slits 23a are provided in the buffer member 23 as an example of through holes in a plan view. However, the present invention is not limited to the shape of the through holes in a plan view. For example, circular or elliptical through holes may be provided in a plan view. In this case, the same effect as in the second embodiment can be obtained by adjusting the cross-sectional shape of the arm plate portion of the locking member to fit the through holes.

[0068] In the third embodiment, the high hardness portion 33b is provided in the middle of the body portion 33a of the cushioning member 33 in the height direction, and the low hardness portion 33c is provided in the lower portion. However, the present invention is not limited to the locations where the high hardness portion and the low hardness portion are provided. The high hardness portion and the low hardness portion can be provided as appropriate in accordance with the arrangement of interior components, etc., and the structure of the seat back.

[0069] In addition, in the third embodiment, a low hardness portion 33c is provided in the body portion 33a of the cushioning member 33 so that it fits the curved portion of the seat back, but instead of providing the low hardness portion 33c, it is also possible to give curvature to the necessary portion when molding the cushioning member by thermoforming.

[0070] Although the first to third embodiments employ the substantially flat cushioning members 13, 23, and 33, the present invention is not limited to the shape of the cushioning members as long as there are no portions with a radius of curvature of less than 3.2 mm, and it is also possible to employ cushioning members with convex or concave curves or wave shapes.

[0071] Although the first to third embodiments employ a front vehicle seat as the vehicle seat 1, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the configuration of the present invention can be applied to a second-row seat in a three-row seat system.

[0072] In the first to third embodiments, the cushioning members 13, 23, 33 have a substantially uniform thickness in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the thickness may be increased in the portions covering the rear of the interior material and the edge portion of the seatback frame, and decreased in other portions. This allows for a reduction in weight and manufacturing costs compared to when the overall thickness is increased.

[0073] [Summary] A vehicle seat according to one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle seat including a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat back includes a seat cover constituting the exterior of the seat back, an interior member housed inside the seat cover, and a shock-absorbing member. The shock-absorbing member is a member for preventing an internal collision, disposed between the interior member and the seat cover and rearward of the interior member.

[0074] In the vehicle seat according to this aspect, the cushioning member is a single member made of a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers, and is configured to have a Shore A hardness of 50 or more and a radius of curvature of 3.2 mm or more.

[0075] The vehicle seat according to the above aspect employs a cushioning member that is a single member made of nonwoven fabric, and therefore the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced compared to when a cushioning member made by joining multiple members is employed, thereby enabling reductions in manufacturing costs.

[0076] Furthermore, the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment has a cushioning member with a Shore A hardness of 50 or more and a radius of curvature of 3.2 mm or more, thereby satisfying the regulations on vehicle interior protrusions, which state that "the portion with which the head or leg model comes into contact and has a hardness of 50 or more Shore A must have a radius of 2.5 or 3.2 mm or more." In other words, the "inner collision countermeasure" in the above means a measure to satisfy the regulations on vehicle interior protrusions. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment can protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs as described above. Note that, in the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment, the "inner collision countermeasure" means a measure to satisfy the regulations on vehicle interior protrusions.

[0077] Here, in the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment, the Shore A hardness of the cushioning member is set to 50 or more to prevent the cushioning member from being removed during a certification test. That is, in a certification test, soft members (members with a Shore A hardness of less than 50) are removed to prevent them from sinking during the test. For example, Annex 7 to UN Regulation No. 21 stipulates that "in determining whether or not a material is considered an internal protrusion, all materials with a Shore A hardness of less than 50 shall be removed." Therefore, in the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment, the Shore hardness of the cushioning member is set to 50 or more to prevent the cushioning member from being removed during a certification test.

[0078] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, when the cushioning member is viewed from one side in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the cushioning member may have a rectangular body portion and wing portions that are integrally formed with the body portion and are arranged to protrude in each of the left and right directions of the vehicle relative to the body portion.

[0079] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, the cushioning member has wing portions that protrude from both the left and right sides of the torso portion. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the above aspect can widely cover the edges of the seatback frame, various terminal devices, the lumbar mechanism, the corners of the coupler, etc. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the above aspect can more reliably protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0080] Furthermore, since the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment has a body portion and wing portions integrally formed, it can cover a wide range of interior components without joining multiple felt pieces together as in conventional cushioning members. This is because the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment uses a nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers to form the cushioning member by thermoforming. That is, nonwoven fabric made of thermoplastic chemical fibers is easily deformed, and thermoforming allows it to be molded into any shape by changing the shape of the mold, making it easy to mold the cushioning member. The vehicle seat according to the above embodiment is configured with a cushioning member that takes advantage of the ease of processing of nonwoven fabric made of such easily moldable thermoplastic chemical fibers.

[0081] In the vehicle seat relating to the above aspect, the seat cover may further include a locking member fixed to the side of the buffer member, and the buffer member may have a through hole that penetrates in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and through which a portion of the locking member is inserted to lock the locking member.

[0082] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, the cushioning member has a through-hole into which the locking member is locked. Furthermore, since the seat cover is fixed to the locking member, the seat cover can be attached to the cushioning member simply by locking the locking member into the through-hole. Therefore, the vehicle seat according to the above aspect does not require the seat cover to be fixed to the cushioning member by sewing or the like, which improves workability when manufacturing the vehicle seat and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0083] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, when the cushioning member is viewed from one side in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the cushioning member may have a high hardness portion provided in one part, and a low hardness portion provided in a part other than the part where the high hardness portion is provided, the low hardness portion having a lower hardness than the high hardness portion.

[0084] The vehicle seat according to the above aspect employs a cushioning member having a high-hardness portion in the portion, and therefore can prevent scratches during manufacturing without attaching other members such as reinforcing members. For example, the cushioning member may require a member for fixing to the seat back frame, but if the location where the member is to be attached is made a high-hardness portion, the member can be directly attached to the cushioning member without fixing a reinforcing member (e.g., a resin plate) to that location.

[0085] Furthermore, when a crane is used to transport a vehicle seat, the crane claw may strike a portion of the vehicle seat, potentially leaving an indentation on the surface of the seat cover. However, in the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment, if the portion where the crane claw strikes is made a high-hardness portion, it is possible to prevent indentations without using a separate reinforcing member. The low-hardness portion may have a Shore A hardness that is 10% to 20% lower than the Shore A hardness of the high-hardness portion, for example. However, in the vehicle seat according to the above embodiment, the low-hardness portion also has a Shore A hardness of 50 or higher.

[0086] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, the interior member may have a corner that is convex toward the rear of the vehicle, and the high hardness portion of the cushioning member may be arranged in a portion of the interior member that is on the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the corner.

[0087] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, high-hardness portions are arranged in the cushioning member at locations that cover the corners of the interior member, thereby preventing wrinkles from forming on the surface of the seat cover due to the corners of the interior member. In other words, in the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, by arranging the high-hardness portions of the cushioning member between the corners of the interior member that have moved rearward, the corners of the interior member that have moved rearward come into contact with the high-strength portions of the cushioning member, thereby preventing the seat cover and the interior member from coming into contact with each other and effectively preventing wrinkles from forming on the surface of the seat cover.

[0088] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, the low hardness portion of the cushioning member may be arranged in a portion that is configured as a curved surface so that the rear surface of the lower part of the seat back in the vehicle vertical direction is configured as a curved surface.

[0089] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, the low hardness portion of the cushioning member is arranged in the lower part (curved portion) of the seat back to be formed, so that the curvature of the cushioning member can be set so as to form the curved surface of the lower part of the seat back. Thus, the vehicle seat according to the above aspect achieves excellent appearance quality.

[0090] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, the cushioning member may be a member formed by molding one sheet of the nonwoven fabric using a thermoforming method.

[0091] In the vehicle seat according to the above aspect, the cushioning member is formed using a thermoforming method, so that various shapes can be realized with a single member, and the hardness of each location can be controlled with high precision by changing the heating temperature.

[0092] As described above, the vehicle seats according to the above aspects can protect rear passengers in the event of a vehicle collision while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising a seat cushion and a seat back, the seat back comprising: a seat cover constituting the exterior of the seat back; an interior member housed inside the seat cover; and a cushioning member for preventing inward collisions disposed between the interior member and the seat cover, on the vehicle rear side of the interior member; the cushioning member being made of a single member made of nonwoven fabric composed of thermoplastic chemical fibers, and configured to have a Shore A hardness of 50 or more and a radius of curvature of 3.2 mm or more.

2. A vehicle seat as described in claim 1, wherein, when the cushioning member is viewed from one side in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, the cushioning member has: a rectangular body portion; and wing portions which are formed integrally with the body portion and which are provided so as to protrude in each of the left and right directions of the vehicle relative to the body portion.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a locking member fixed to a side of the cushioning member in the seat cover, the cushioning member having a through hole penetrating in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, through which a part of the locking member is inserted to lock the locking member.

4. A vehicle seat as described in claim 1, wherein, when the cushioning member is viewed from either the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the cushioning member has a high hardness portion provided in one part, and a low hardness portion which is provided in a part other than the part where the high hardness portion is provided and has a hardness lower than that of the high hardness portion.

5. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the interior member has a corner that protrudes towards the rear of the vehicle, and the high hardness portion of the cushioning member is disposed in a portion of the interior member on the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the corner.

6. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the low hardness portion of the cushioning member is disposed in a portion configured with a curved surface such that the rear surface of the lower portion of the seat back in the vehicle vertical direction is configured with a curved surface.

7. A vehicle seat as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cushioning member is a member formed by molding one sheet of the nonwoven fabric using a thermoforming method.

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