Vehicle seat

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat capable of reducing a workload when attaching a skin material to a back frame of the vehicle seat provided with a pad material, the skin material, and the back frame.　A bucket seat (S) comprises: a pad material (15); a skin material (20) that covers the seating surface side of the pad material (15); and a back frame (30) disposed on the back surface side. The skin material (20) has a frame hook (23) that fixes the skin material (20) to the back frame (30). The back frame (30) has a recess (31) that houses the frame hook (23). The frame hook (23) has an engagement part (26) that engages with a claw (311) disposed in the recess (31). A gap (G) is formed between the recess (31) and the end of the frame hook in an insertion direction when the frame hook (23) is inserted into the recess (31).

Description

Vehicle seats

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a vehicle seat having a fixing member for fixing an upholstery material to a back frame.

[0002] Buggy cars are known that are suitable for driving on rough terrain such as mountain roads and sandy areas. Buggy cars are equipped with reinforced suspension, bucket seats, and four-point or five-point seat belts, which enable occupants to maintain an appropriate posture against large vibrations and shocks while driving. Buggy cars also generally have a simple structure and are made up of components that are easy to attach and detach, which allows for high maintainability.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a bucket seat including a pad, a cover covering the seating side of the pad, and a back frame disposed behind the pad. The cover is provided with hooks for fastening the cover to the back frame, and the back frame is provided with claw members for engaging the hooks. Therefore, the cover can be attached to the back frame by engaging the hooks with the claw members.

[0004] US Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0281645

[0005] Although the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to attach a cover material to a back frame, further improvement is desired. To explain in more detail, when hooking the hooks disclosed in Patent Document 1 onto the claw members, a large strain is placed on the worker's fingertips, and many hooks for attaching the cover material are provided on the outer periphery of the cover material and around the belt holes. Therefore, a reduction in the workload involved in attaching the cover material to the back frame is desired.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a vehicle seat that can reduce the workload when attaching a cover material to a back frame of a vehicle seat that includes a padding material, a cover material, and a back frame.

[0007] The above problem is solved by the vehicle seat of the present invention, which provides a vehicle seat including a padding material, a covering material covering the seating surface side of the padding material, and a back frame arranged on the back side of the padding material, wherein the covering material has a fixing member arranged along the outer edge of the covering material and fixing the covering material to the back frame, the back frame has a recess arranged on the outer periphery of the back frame and for accommodating the fixing member, the fixing member has an engaging portion that engages with an engaged portion arranged in the recess, and when the fixing member is inserted into the recess and the engaging portion and the engaged portion engage with each other, a gap is formed between the end of the fixing member in the insertion direction and the recess.

[0008] According to the above configuration, a fixing member is provided along the outer edge of the cover material covering the seating surface side of the pad material, a recess for accommodating the fixing member is provided on the outer periphery of the back frame located on the back side of the pad material, and the fixing member has an engaging portion that engages with the engaged portion disposed in the recess. When the fixing member is inserted into the recess and the engaging portion and the engaged portion engage with each other, a gap is formed between the end of the fixing member in the insertion direction and the recess. This improves the flexibility of the fixing member and reduces the strain on the worker's fingertips when inserting the fixing member into the recess. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the workload when attaching the cover material to the back frame of a vehicle seat that includes a pad material, a cover material, and a back frame.

[0009] The fixing member may have a J-shaped cross section, a connecting base portion connecting to the upholstery material and extending in the insertion direction, a bent portion located at the end of the insertion direction, and an engaging portion extending from the bent portion in a reverse direction opposite the insertion direction, with a first notch formed at the tip of the engaging portion in the opposite direction. According to the above configuration, the notch formed at the tip of the engaging portion in the opposite direction to the insertion direction increases the gap formed between the end of the fixing member in the insertion direction and the recess when the engaging portion and the engaged portion engage with each other. This further improves the flexibility of the fixing member and further reduces the strain on the operator's fingertips when inserting the fixing member into the recess. This reduces the workload when attaching the upholstery material to the back frame of a vehicle seat including a padding material, an upholstery material, and a back frame.

[0010] In addition, it is preferable that a plurality of the engaged portions are provided spaced apart from each other along the outer periphery of the back frame, and the first notch is formed at a position facing the engaged portion and is not formed at a position not facing the engaged portion. According to the above configuration, since the first notch is not formed at a position not facing the engaged portion, misalignment between the engaging portion and the engaged portion is suppressed, and it is possible to maintain the engagement state between the engaging portion and the engaged portion.

[0011] The connecting base of the fixing member may have a second notch cut out in a triangular shape. The triangular second notch in the connecting base allows the fixing member to flexibly deform to fit the shape of the back frame. This improves the stability of the attachment of the cover material to the back frame.

[0012] The bent portion of the fixing member may have a third notch cut out in a trapezoidal shape. The trapezoidal third notch in the bent portion allows the fixing member to flexibly deform to fit the shape of the back frame while maintaining the strength of the fixing member. This improves the stability of the attachment of the cover material to the back frame.

[0013] Furthermore, the third notch may have an upper base on a short side and a lower base on a long side, the lower base being located at an end of the fixing member in the insertion direction. According to the above configuration, the lower base of the third notch is located at an end of the fixing member in the insertion direction, allowing the fixing member to flexibly deform to match the shape of the back frame. This improves the stability of attachment of the cover material to the back frame.

[0014] The fixing member may have a first through hole formed therein that faces the engaged portion when the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged with each other. According to the above configuration, the first through hole provided at a position facing the engaged portion further improves the flexibility of the fixing member, thereby further reducing the strain on the operator's fingertips when inserting the fixing member into the recess. This reduces the workload when attaching the cover material to the back frame of a vehicle seat that includes a padding material, a cover material, and a back frame.

[0015] The back frame may be made of a synthetic resin molded body, and the recess may have a second through-hole formed therein, facing the engaged portion and passing through the recess in the insertion direction. According to the above configuration, the back frame made of a synthetic resin molded body can be easily removed from the mold after injection molding.

[0016] The vehicle seat may further include a belt hole penetrating the vehicle seat in the front-rear direction and a belt hole cover covering the belt hole from the seating surface side, and the back frame may include a cover fitting portion on the seating surface side that fits with the belt hole cover and a cover engaging portion that engages with a hole engaging member provided on the cover material, the cover fitting portion and the cover engaging portion being integrally formed. According to the above configuration, the cover fitting portion and the cover engaging portion are integrally formed, which improves the strength of the cover fitting portion and the cover engaging portion and suppresses deformation. This improves the stability of attachment of the cover material and the belt hole cover to the back frame.

[0017] In addition, the cover engaging portion may protrude toward the seating surface side from the cover fitting portion. According to the above configuration, since the cover engaging portion protrudes toward the seating surface side from the cover fitting portion, it is possible to reduce the workload when attaching the cover to the back frame of a vehicle seat that includes a pad material, a cover material, a back frame, and a belt hole cover.

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the workload when attaching an upholstery material to a back frame of a vehicle seat that includes a padding material, an upholstery material, and a back frame. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress misalignment between the engaging portion and the engaged portion, thereby maintaining the engagement state between the engaging portion and the engaged portion. It is also possible to improve the attachment stability of the upholstery material to the back frame. Furthermore, it is possible to easily remove the back frame, which is made of a synthetic resin molded body, from the mold after injection molding.

[0019] 5 is a perspective view of the bucket seat of this embodiment, seen from an obliquely front direction. FIG. 6 is a front view of the seat back. FIG. 7 is a rear view of the seat back. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the seat back. FIG. 9 is an enlarged rear view of portion P of FIG. 4. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the frame hook. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 12. FIG. 13 is a front view of the back frame. FIG. 14 is a rear view of the back frame. FIG. 15 is a side view of the back frame. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a main portion of the back frame, showing a perspective view of the claw member. FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of a main portion of the back frame, showing a perspective view of the periphery of the belt hole. FIG. 18 is a rear view showing a state before a covering material is attached to a headrest portion of the back frame. FIG. 19 is a rear view showing a state after a covering material is attached to the headrest portion of the back frame. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing an engagement state between an engaging portion and a claw member. FIG. 19 is a view for explaining a method of attaching a covering material to the periphery of the belt hole. FIG. 19 is a view for explaining a method of attaching a belt hole cover.

[0020] The configuration of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention (the present embodiment) will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and of course, the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

[0021] In the following, a bucket seat S is used as an example of a vehicle seat, and an example of its configuration will be described. In the following description, the "seat longitudinal direction" refers to the longitudinal direction of the bucket seat S, which is the direction that coincides with the traveling direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling. The "seat width direction" refers to the width direction of the bucket seat S, which is the direction that coincides with the left-right direction as seen by an occupant seated in the bucket seat S. The "vertical direction" refers to the vertical direction of the bucket seat S, which is the direction that coincides with the vertical direction when the vehicle is traveling on a horizontal plane. The outer and inner sides are defined based on the occupant. That is, the direction toward the center of the seat width direction is the inward direction, and the direction away from it is the outward direction. A common number is assigned to a pair of left and right components, and when specifying the left and right, the names of the components are designated by "left side" and "right side," and the letters "L" and "R" are added to the reference numerals.

[0022] <Bucket Seat S> The overall configuration of the bucket seat S according to this embodiment will be outlined with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the bucket seat S according to this embodiment, viewed obliquely from the front. The bucket seat S is installed mainly in small, lightweight four-wheeled vehicles (e.g., buggy cars) intended for off-road driving, and is used to stably hold an occupant against large vibrations and shocks while driving. However, without being limited to this, the bucket seat S may also be installed in sports-type vehicles and used to achieve high holding ability.

[0023] 1, the bucket seat S according to this embodiment mainly comprises a seat cushion 1 and a seat back 2. Hereinafter, the seat cushion 1 and the seat back 2 may be collectively referred to as a seat body.

[0024] <Seat Cushion 1> The seat cushion 1 is a support member that supports the buttocks of an occupant seated in the bucket seat S, supporting the occupant from below. The seat cushion 1 has a seating portion 1a that forms a seating surface when the occupant sits on it, and left and right support portions 1b that are disposed on the outer sides of the seating portion 1a. The support portions 1b protrude upward from the seating portion 1a.

[0025] <Seatback 2> The seatback 2 is a support member that supports the back of the seated occupant and supports the seated occupant from behind. The seatback 2 has a backrest portion 2a that forms the back surface (seating surface) when the occupant sits down, and left and right support portions 2b that are located on the outer sides of the backrest portion 2a. The support portions 2b protrude forward from the backrest portion 2a.

[0026] The seat back 2 is provided with a headrest portion 2c that protrudes upward and supports the head of the seated occupant. The headrest portion 2c supports the head of the seated occupant from behind. The seat back 2 also has left and right belt holes 2d formed below the headrest portion 2c. A four-point or five-point seat belt (not shown) is inserted through the belt holes 2d and is used to hold the left and right shoulders of the occupant seated in the bucket seat S.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the seat back 2 mainly comprises a padding material 10, a skin material 20 that covers the seating surface side of the padding material 10, a back frame 30 that is arranged on the back side of the padding material 10, a belt hole cover 40, and a metal frame 50.

[0028] <<Padding Material 10>> The padding material 10 is a cushioning material and is made of a urethane resin (foamed resin) such as soft polyurethane foam. The padding material 10 may be made of biomass urethane. The padding material 10 has belt insertion holes 11 at positions corresponding to the belt holes 2d. The belt insertion holes 11 penetrate the padding material 10 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0029] <<Covering Material 20>> The covering material 20 mainly comprises a covering material main body 21 in which a belt insertion hole 22 is formed, frame hooks 23 provided along the outer edge of the covering material main body 21, and hole hooks 28 provided on the edge of the belt insertion hole 22, and covers the seating surface side of the pad material 10. The covering material main body 21 is made of a stretchable synthetic leather material, but is not limited to this. The covering material main body 21 may also be made of cloth, film, leather, etc.

[0030] The frame hooks 23 are strip-shaped fasteners made of synthetic resin, and are fixing members that fix the upper and both side edges of the upholstery material 20 to the back frame 30. In addition, a plurality of frame engaging holes 27 are formed along the lower edge of the lower end of the upholstery material main body 21. The frame engaging holes 27 are fixing members that fix the lower end of the upholstery material 20 to the back frame 30.

[0031] The hole hook 28 is a belt-shaped fastener provided around the belt insertion hole 22. The hole hook 28 secures the cover material 20 to a cover material engaging portion 35 provided around the belt insertion hole 33 of the back frame 30. The structure for securing the cover material 20 to the back frame 30 will be described later.

[0032] <<Back Frame 30 >> The back frame 30 is made of a molded body of hard synthetic resin, is disposed on the back side of the padding material 10, and serves as a base member that fixes and supports the padding material 10, the skin material 20, and the belt hole cover 40.

[0033] The back frame 30 has left and right belt insertion holes 33 formed at positions corresponding to the belt holes 2d, and an air vent 34 formed between the left and right belt insertion holes 33. Around the belt insertion holes 33 and the air vent 34 are provided upholstery material engagement portions 35 that engage with the hole hooks 28 of the upholstery material 20. Also, below the belt insertion holes 33 and the air vent 34, ribs 37 extending in a lattice pattern are formed. Meanwhile, the back side of the back frame 30 is provided with recesses 31 that can accommodate the frame hooks 23 of the upholstery material 20, and protrusions 32 that are inserted into the frame engagement holes 27 (see FIGS. 3 and 10 ).

[0034] <<Belt Hole Cover 40>> The belt hole cover 40 is made of a molded body of hard synthetic resin and is a cover member that covers the periphery of the belt hole 2d from the seating surface side. The belt hole cover 40 has left and right belt insertion holes 41 and a ventilation hole 42 interposed between the left and right belt insertion holes 41. The belt insertion holes 41 of the belt hole cover 40, the belt insertion holes 22 of the cover material 20, the belt insertion holes 11 of the pad material 10, and the belt insertion holes 33 of the back frame 30 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction to form the belt hole 2d of the seat back 2. The fixing structure of the belt hole cover 40 and the back frame 30 will be described later.

[0035] <<Metal Frame 50>> The metal frame 50 is a metal framework having an upper frame 51 and a lower frame 52. The upper frame 51 is made of left and right round pipes, and supports the upper portion of the seat back 2. The lower frame 52 is connected to the lower end of the upper frame 51, and supports the lower portion of the seat back 2 and the seat cushion 1.

[0036] <Fixing Structure of the Covering Material 20, Back Frame 30, and Belt Hole Cover 40> Next, the fixing structure of the covering material 20, back frame 30, and belt hole cover 40 will be described in detail. Specifically, the covering material 20 has the frame hooks 23, frame engagement holes 27, and belt hole hooks 28 as fixing structures. The back frame 30 has the recesses 31, protrusions 32, covering material engagement portions 35, and belt hole cover fitting portions 36 as fixing structures. The belt hole cover 40 has the tongue pieces 43 and protruding ribs 44 (see FIG. 18 ) as fixing structures.

[0037] <<Frame Hook 23>> First, the frame hook 23 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 5 to 8. Figure 5 is an enlarged rear view of portion P in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the frame hook 23. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 5, and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 5. As described above, the frame hook 23 is a strip-shaped body that extends continuously along the outer edges of the upper edge and both side edges of the upholstery body 21. The frame hook 23 has a substantially J-shaped cross section, and includes a connecting base 24 that connects to the upholstery body 21, a bent portion 25, and an engaging portion 26.

[0038] The connecting base 24 is sewn to the upholstery body 21, extends in the insertion direction (the direction indicated by arrow A in FIGS. 5 to 8 ) when the frame hook 23 is inserted into the recess 31, and is connected to a bent portion 25 located at the end in the insertion direction. However, the connecting base 24 may be fixed to the upholstery body 21 by adhesive or fusion.

[0039] A slit 242 is formed in the connecting base 24. The slit 242 is formed by punching the frame hook 23 together with an engagement end notch 261 of the engagement portion 26 (described later) (see FIG. 8). As will be described later with reference to FIG. 16, the slit 242 is positioned to face the claw member 311 of the back frame 30 when the engagement portion 26 and the claw member 311 are engaged with each other. This improves the flexibility of the frame hook 23 and reduces the strain on the fingertips of the operator when inserting the frame hook 23 into the recess 31. The slit 242 corresponds to a first through hole of the present invention.

[0040] The connecting base 24 also has a connecting end notch 243 that is cut out in a triangular (V-shaped) shape in side view. Forming the connecting end notch 243 in the connecting base 24 improves the flexibility of the frame hook 23, allowing the frame hook 23 to flexibly deform to match the curved shape of the back frame 30. This improves the attachment stability of the cover material 20 to the back frame 30. The connecting end notch 243 corresponds to a second notch of the present invention.

[0041] The bent portion 25 is located at the end of the frame hook 23 in the insertion direction and connects the connecting base 24 and the engaging portion 26. More specifically, the bent portion 25 is connected to the connecting base 24 such that the engaging portion 26 extends in an inverted direction opposite to the insertion direction. When the frame hook 23 is inserted into the recess 31 of the back frame 30, a gap G is formed between the bent portion 25 located at the end in the insertion direction and the recess 31 (see FIG. 16 ). This improves the flexibility of the frame hook 23 compared to when the bent portion 25 abuts against the bottom wall 31 c of the recess 31, reducing the strain on the fingertips of the operator when inserting the frame hook 23 into the recess 31.

[0042] The bent portion 25 has a trapezoidal bent end notch 251 that is notched in a trapezoidal shape in side view and a V-shaped bent end notch 252 that is notched in a triangular (V-shaped) shape in side view. By forming the trapezoidal bent end notch 251 and the V-shaped bent end notch 252 in the bent portion 25, the frame hook 23 can flexibly deform to match the curved shape of the back frame 30, improving the attachment stability of the upholstery material 20. More specifically, the V-shaped bent end notch 252 is formed in a position corresponding to the curved portion 30d (see FIG. 10 ) of the outer shape of the back frame 30, where the degree of curvature is large. Meanwhile, the trapezoidal bent end notch 251 is formed in a position of the outer shape of the back frame 30, where the degree of curvature is small. Therefore, the frame hook 23 can deform with the desired flexibility to match the curved shape of the back frame 30. The trapezoidal bent end notch 251 corresponds to a third notch in the present invention.

[0043] 5, the trapezoidal bent end notch 251 has an upper base 251a on the short side and a lower base 251b on the long side, which is indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 5, and the lower base 251b is located at the end in the insertion direction of the frame hook 23. The flexibility of the frame hook 23 can be adjusted by changing the dimensions of the upper base 251a and the lower base 251b according to the degree of curvature of the back frame 30.

[0044] The engaging portion 26 extends from the bent portion 25 in the direction opposite the insertion direction and engages with a claw member 311 of the back frame 30, which will be described later. The engaging portion 26 also has an engaging end notch 261, which is a notch cut out from the end opposite the insertion direction. The engaging end notch 261 is formed simultaneously with the slit 242 by punching the frame hook 23. By forming the engaging end notch 261 in the engaging portion 26, when the frame hook 23 is inserted into the recess 31 of the back frame 30, the dimension of the gap G formed between the bent portion 25 located at the end in the insertion direction and the recess 31 is increased (see FIG. 16 ). This improves the flexibility of the frame hook 23 compared to when the bent portion 25 abuts against the bottom wall 31c of the recess 31, reducing the strain on the operator's fingertips when inserting the frame hook 23 into the recess 31. Furthermore, by simultaneously punching the engaging end notch 261 and the slit 242, the manufacturing cost of the hole hook 28 can be reduced. The engagement end notch 261 corresponds to the first notch of the present invention.

[0045] <<Frame Engagement Hole 27>> Next, the frame engagement holes 27 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. A plurality of frame engagement holes 27 are formed in the lower end of the upholstery body 21, and are spaced apart from one another at positions corresponding to protrusions 32 provided on the lower end 30c of the back frame 30. The protrusions 32 are inserted into the frame engagement holes 27 to secure the upholstery 20 to the back frame 30.

[0046] <<Hole Hooks 28>> Next, the hole hooks 28 will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 17. As shown in Figures 9 and 17, six hole hooks 28 are provided around the belt insertion slot 22. More specifically, the hole hooks 28 include an upper central hole hook 281, left and right upper lateral hole hooks 282, a lower central hole hook 283, and left and right lower lateral hole hooks 284. The hole hooks 28 are engaged with cover material engaging portions 35 provided around the belt insertion slot 33 of the back frame 30, thereby fixing the cover material 20 to the periphery of the belt insertion slot 33 of the back frame 30. The hole hooks 28 correspond to hole engaging members of the present invention.

[0047] <<Recess 31>> Next, the recess 31 will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 12. The recess 31 is a groove that has dimensions large enough to accommodate the frame hooks 23 provided on the upholstery material 20, and extends continuously while curving along the upper edge 30a and the left and right side edges 30b of the back frame 30. As shown in Figure 12, the recess 31 has an outer wall 31a, an inner wall 31b, and a bottom wall 31c connecting the outer and inner walls 31a and 31b, and is recessed from the rear surface side of the back frame 30 toward the seating surface side.

[0048] Claw members 311 and die-cut holes 312 are provided inside the recess 31. As shown in Fig. 10, the claw members 311 and die-cut holes 312 are provided at positions that avoid the curved portion 30d of the back frame 30. The claw members 311 are provided in pairs on the outer wall 31a of the recess 31 and protrude inward. This allows them to engage with the engaging portions 26 of the frame hooks 23, thereby fixing the cover material 20 to the back frame 30, as will be described later with reference to Fig. 16. The claw members 311 correspond to the engaged portions of the present invention.

[0049] The die-removal holes 312 are formed in pairs extending from the outer wall 31a to the bottom wall 31c. The die-removal holes 312 are formed at positions facing the claw members 311 and penetrate the bottom wall 31c in the insertion direction of the frame hook 23 as indicated by arrow A in Figure 11. Forming the die-removal holes 312 in the bottom wall 31c makes it possible to reduce the workload when removing the back frame 30, which is made of a synthetic resin molded body, from the mold after injection molding. The die-removal holes 312 correspond to second through holes in the present invention.

[0050] <<Protrusion 32>> Next, the protrusion 32 will be described with reference to Figures 3, 10, and 11. The protrusion 32 is located at the lower end 30c of the back frame 30 and protrudes rearward from the back surface side. However, without being limited thereto, the protrusion 32 may protrude upward from the back surface side of the back frame 30, or may have a shape that bends upward. The protrusion 32 has a dimension that allows it to be inserted into the frame engagement hole 27 formed in the lower end of the upholstery main body 21. This allows the lower end of the upholstery main body 21 to be fixed to the back frame 30. Furthermore, a die-cut hole 312 may be formed around the protrusion 32.

[0051] <<Cover Material Engagement Portion 35 and Belt Hole Cover Fitting Portion 36>> Next, the cover material engagement portion 35 and the belt hole cover fitting portion 36 will be described with reference to Figures 9, 13, and 17. Peripheral walls 331 that stand upright toward the front are provided around the left and right belt insertion holes 33 provided in the back frame 30. The peripheral wall 331 has an upper wall 331a, a lower wall 331b, an inner wall 331c, and an outer wall 331d. The upper wall 331a and the lower wall 331b are provided with the cover material engagement portion 35 with which the cover material 20 engages, and the belt hole cover fitting portion 36 to which the belt hole cover 40 is attached.

[0052] The cover engaging portion 35 has an upper central cover engaging portion 351, left and right upper side cover engaging portions 352, a lower central cover engaging portion 353, and left and right lower side cover engaging portions 354. The upper central cover engaging portion 351 and the lower central cover engaging portion 353 have a generally inverted U shape, protrude forward above and below the ventilation hole 34, and can hook onto an upper central hole hook 281 and a lower central hole hook 283 provided on the cover 20.

[0053] The left and right upper side cover material engaging portions 352 have a generally inverted U-shape protruding forward from the front end portions of the left and right upper walls 331a, and can hook the upper side hole hooks 282. The left and right lower side cover material engaging portions 354 have a generally inverted U-shape protruding forward from the front end portions of the left and right lower walls 331b, and can hook the lower side hole hooks 284.

[0054] The belt hole cover fitting portion 36 has an upper belt cover fitting portion 361 provided on the upper wall 331a and a lower belt cover fitting portion 362 provided on the lower wall 331b. Three upper belt cover fitting portions 361 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the upper wall 331a and are protrusions that protrude forward from the upper wall 331a. The upper belt cover fitting portions 361 have fitting holes formed therein into which tongue pieces 43 (see FIG. 18) of the belt hole cover 40 described below can be fitted.

[0055] The lower belt cover fitting portions 362 are three projecting pieces that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the lower wall 331b and protrude forward from the lower wall 331b. The lower belt cover fitting portions 362 have fitting holes formed therein into which the tongue pieces 43 of the belt hole cover 40 can be fitted. Therefore, the belt hole cover 40 can be attached to the back frame 30 by fitting the tongue pieces 43 of the belt hole cover 40 into the upper belt cover fitting portions 361 and the lower belt cover fitting portions 362.

[0056] 13 , the cover material engaging portion 35 and the belt hole cover fitting portion 36 are integrally formed. More specifically, the cover material engaging portion 35 and the belt hole cover fitting portion 36 are integrally formed with the peripheral wall 331. This improves the strength of the cover material engaging portion 35 and the belt hole cover fitting portion 36, allowing the cover material 20 and the belt hole cover 40 to be stably attached to the back frame 30, and also making it possible to reduce the number of parts of the seat back 2. However, without being limited to this, the cover material engaging portion 35 and the belt hole cover fitting portion 36 may be formed separately from the peripheral wall 331.

[0057] <<Tongue Pieces 43 and Protruding Ribs 44>> Next, the tongue pieces 43 and the protruding ribs 44 will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Peripheral walls 411 that stand up toward the rear are provided around the left and right belt insertion holes 41 provided in the belt hole cover 40. The peripheral walls 411 have an upper wall 411a, a lower wall 411b, an inner wall 411c, and an outer wall 411d. The upper wall 411a and the lower wall 411b are provided with tongue pieces 43 that fit into the belt hole cover fitting portions 36 of the back frame 30, and protruding ribs 44 that are guided by the belt hole cover fitting portions 36.

[0058] The tongue piece 43 has an inclined surface, and can be fitted into and engaged with a fitting hole formed in the above-mentioned belt hole cover fitting portion 36. This makes it possible to prevent the belt hole cover 40 from falling off the back frame 30.

[0059] The protruding rib 44 extends in the front-rear direction and protrudes rearward from the rear ends of the upper wall 331a and the lower wall 331b. The protruding rib 44 can enter in the front-rear direction between the three belt hole cover fitting portions 36 arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Therefore, the belt hole cover 40 is attached by positioning the protruding rib 44 between the belt hole cover fitting portions 36 and sliding the belt hole cover 40 toward the back frame 30. The protruding rib 44 serves as a guide member that guides the attachment of the belt hole cover 40.

[0060] <Manufacturing Method of Bucket Seat S> Next, a method of manufacturing the bucket seat S will be described. First, a seat cushion 1, a seat back 2, and a metal frame 50 that constitute the bucket seat S are prepared. To explain the seat back 2 in more detail, a pad material 10, a skin material 20, a back frame 30, and a belt hole cover 40 that constitute the seat back 2 are prepared.

[0061] Next, the padding 10 is placed on the back frame 30 and further covered with the cover material 20. More specifically, the back frame 30 is placed on the back side of the padding 10, and the seating surface side is covered with the cover material 20. Next, the frame hook 23 is inserted into the recess 31 of the back frame 30, whereby the engaging portion 26 provided on the frame hook 23 and the claw member 311 located inside the recess 31 engage with each other.

[0062] Fig. 14 is a rear view showing the state before the frame hook 23 is accommodated in the recess 31, and Fig. 15 is a rear view showing the state after the frame hook 23 has been accommodated in the recess 31. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the engagement between the engagement portion 26 and the claw member 311. As shown in Fig. 15, when the covering material 20 is attached, the outer periphery of the back frame 30 is covered with the covering material 20, and the frame hook 23 provided along the outer edge of the covering material 20 is inserted into and accommodated in the recess 31 of the back frame 30. This causes the engagement portion 26 of the frame hook 23 to engage with the claw member 311 provided inside the recess 31.

[0063] 16 , a gap G is formed between the bent portion 25 of the frame hook 23 (the end in the insertion direction indicated by arrow A) and the bottom wall 31c of the recess 31. This allows the frame hook 23 to flexibly deform in the insertion direction, reducing the strain on the fingertips of the worker when inserting the frame hook 23 into the recess 31. This makes it possible to reduce the workload involved in the work of attaching the cover material 20 to the back frame 30.

[0064] As described above, the engaging portion 26 of the frame hook 23 has an engaging end notch 261 formed at the tip thereof facing in the opposite direction to the insertion direction. Therefore, when the engaging portion 26 and the claw member 311 engage with each other, a large gap G is formed between the bent portion 25 of the frame hook 23 and the bottom wall 31c of the recess 31. This allows the frame hook 23 to deform flexibly in the insertion direction, further reducing the strain on the operator's fingertips when inserting the frame hook 23 into the recess 31.

[0065] Furthermore, the engagement end notch 261 is formed at a position facing the claw member 311 in the insertion direction, and is not formed at a position not facing the claw member 311 in the insertion direction. Therefore, misalignment between the engagement portion 26 and the claw member 311 is suppressed, and the engagement state between the engagement portion 26 and the claw member 311 can be maintained.

[0066] Furthermore, slits 242 are formed at positions facing the inner sides of the claw members 311 of the frame hooks 23. This improves the flexibility of the frame hooks 23, further reducing the strain on the fingertips of the worker when inserting the frame hooks 23 into the recesses 31. As described above, the frame hooks 23 of the cover material 20 are inserted into the recesses 31 formed in the upper edge 30a and side edge 30b of the back frame 30.

[0067] Next, the protrusion 32 formed on the lower end 30c of the back frame 30 is inserted into the frame engagement hole 27 formed on the lower end of the skin material 20. In this way, the skin material 20 is attached to the entire outer periphery of the back frame 30, and the seat back 2 is covered with the skin material 20.

[0068] Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the hole hooks 28 of the cover material 20 are engaged with the cover material engaging portions 35 provided around the belt insertion holes 33 of the back frame 30, thereby completing the attachment of the cover material 20 to the back frame 30.

[0069] 18, the belt hole cover 40 is inserted from the front of the belt hole 2d, and the tongue piece 43 is fitted into the belt hole cover fitting portion 36 of the back frame 30. In this way, the belt hole cover 40 is attached to the seat back 2. The seat cushion 1 is also assembled in the same manner, and finally, the seat cushion 1 and the seat back 2 are connected to the metal frame 50, completing the manufacture of the bucket seat S.

[0070] While the bucket seat S according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, the fixing structure of the cover material 20 to the back frame 30 has been described using the seat back 2 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention may also be applied to a fixing structure of the cover material 20 to a cushion frame.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the frame hook 23 has been described as having a substantially J-shaped cross section, but is not limited to this. The frame hook 23 may have any known engaging structure as long as it has the engaging portion 26 that engages with the claw member 311.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the cover material engaging portion 35 has been described as having an inverted U-shape, but is not limited to this. The cover material engaging portion 35 may have any known engaging structure as long as it can hook the hole hooks 28 of the cover material 20. Of course, the number and arrangement of the cover material engaging portions 35 and hole hooks 28 may be changed.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the belt hole cover fitting portion 36 has been described as having a fitting hole, but is not limited to this. The belt hole cover fitting portion 36 may have a known engagement structure as long as it can fix the belt hole cover 40. Of course, the number and arrangement of the belt hole cover fitting portions 36 and the tongue pieces 43 may be changed.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the seat cushion 1 and the seat back 2 are described as being separate bodies connected via the metal frame 50, but this is not limiting. The seat cushion 1 and the seat back 2 may be connected by a known connecting structure.

[0076] In the above-described embodiment, a bucket seat S mounted on a vehicle is given as an example of a vehicle seat, and an example of the configuration thereof has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to seats mounted on ground vehicles having wheels, such as automobiles and trains, and may also be applied to seats mounted on aircraft, ships, and other vehicles that move on non-ground surfaces, for example.

[0077] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS S Bucket seat (vehicle seat) 1 Seat cushion 1a Seating portion 1b Support portion 2 Seat back 2a Backrest portion 2b Support portion 2c Headrest portion 2d Belt hole 10 Pad material 11 Belt insertion hole 20 Cover material 21 Cover material main body 22 Belt insertion hole 23 Frame hook (fixing member) 24 Connecting base portion 242 Slit (first through hole) 243 Connecting end notch (second notch) 25 Bending portion 251 Trapezoidal bent end notch (third notch) 251a Upper base 251b Lower base 252 V-shaped bent end notch 26 Engaging portion 261 Engaging end notch (first notch) 27 Frame engaging hole 28 Hole hook (hole engaging member) 281 Upper center hole hook 282 Upper side hole hook 283 Lower central hole hook 284 Lower side hole hook 30 Back frame 30a Upper edge 30b Side edge 30c Lower edge 30d Curved portion 31 Recess 31a Outer wall 31b Inner wall 31c Bottom wall 311 Claw member (engaged portion) 312 Die-cut hole (second through hole) 32 Projection 33 Belt insertion hole 331 Peripheral wall 331a Upper wall 331b Lower wall 331c Inner wall 331d Outer wall 34 Ventilation hole 35 Cover material engaging portion 351 Upper central cover material engaging portion 352 Upper side cover material engaging portion 353 Lower central cover material engaging portion 354 Lower side cover material engaging portion 36 Belt hole cover fitting portion 361 Upper belt cover fitting portion 362 Lower belt cover fitting portion 40 Belt hole cover 41 Belt insertion hole 411 Peripheral wall 411a Upper wall 411b Lower wall 411c Inner wall 411d Outer wall 42 Ventilation hole 43 Tongue 44 Protruding rib 50 Metal frame 51 Upper frame 52 Lower frame G Gap

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising a padding material, a covering material covering the seating surface side of the padding material, and a back frame arranged on the back side of the padding material, wherein the covering material has a fixing member arranged along the outer edge of the covering material and fixing the covering material to the back frame, the back frame has a recess arranged on the outer periphery of the back frame and accommodating the fixing member, the fixing member has an engaging portion that engages with an engaged portion arranged in the recess, and when the fixing member is inserted into the recess and the engaging portion and the engaged portion engage with each other, a gap is formed between the end of the fixing member in the insertion direction and the recess.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member has a J-shaped cross section and comprises a connecting base portion that is connected to the skin material and extends in the insertion direction, a bent portion located at the end in the insertion direction, and the engaging portion that extends from the bent portion in a direction opposite to the insertion direction, and a first notch is formed at the tip end in the opposite direction of the engaging portion.

3. A vehicle seat as described in claim 2, characterized in that the engaged portions are provided at intervals along the outer periphery of the back frame, and the first notch is formed in a position facing the engaged portion and is not formed in a position not facing the engaged portion.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the connecting base of the fixing member has a second notch cut out in a triangular shape.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the bent portion of the fixing member has a third notch cut into a trapezoidal shape.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the third notch has an upper base on the short side and a lower base on the long side, and the lower base is located at an end of the fixing member in the insertion direction.

7. A vehicle seat as described in claim 1, characterized in that the fixing member has a first through hole formed therein that faces the engaged portion when the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged and that penetrates the fixing member.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the back frame is made of a synthetic resin molded body, and the recess has a second through hole formed therein that faces the engaged portion and penetrates the recess in the insertion direction.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle seat comprises a belt hole penetrating the vehicle seat in the front-to-rear direction and a belt hole cover covering the belt hole from the seating surface side, the back frame having, on the seating surface side, a cover fitting portion that fits with the belt hole cover and an upholstery material engaging portion that engages with a hole engaging member provided on the upholstery material, and the cover fitting portion and the upholstery material engaging portion are integrally formed.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 9, wherein the cover material engaging portion protrudes toward the seating surface side beyond the cover fitting portion.

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