JP2026064458A - Vehicle seats - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vehicle seat that allows adjustment of the height and angle of the seat cushion with a simple mechanism.
[Solution] The automobile seat 1 comprises a seat cushion 2, a rotation axis 8 positioned in front of the seat cushion 2 with its axial direction in the seat width direction relative to the floor 40, and a fixing device positioned behind the rotation axis 8. The fixing device comprises a locking device 10 positioned on the seat cushion 2 and an engaging device S positioned on the floor 40 with which the locking device 10 can engage. The engaging device S comprises a fixed striker 20 that engages with the locking device 10 in a normal position where the seat cushion 2 is in its normal state, and a movable striker 30 that engages with the locking device 10 at a position higher than the normal position. The movable striker 30 can be in a usage state where it protrudes upward from the floor 40 and a stored state at a position lower than the usage state.
[Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Description

This invention relates to a vehicle seat.

Conventionally, some vehicle seats, such as those installed in automobiles, have devices for adjusting the height and angle of the seat cushion. In the vehicle seat described in Patent Document 1, the seat frame is connected to the base body by a front link member and a rear link member, and both the front and rear link members are rotatably connected to both the seat frame and the base body. Furthermore, either the front or rear link member can be displaced relative to the seat frame at the connection point, and the front and rear link members are connected by an expandable link member. This allows the seat frame to be moved, thereby adjusting the height and angle of the seat surface relative to the base body, by expanding or contracting the expandable link member and moving at least one of the front and rear link members.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-81061

When attempting desk work in a vehicle, it's sometimes necessary to adjust the height and angle of the seat cushion to match the desk height. While the vehicle seat described in Patent Document 1 allows for adjustment of the seat cushion's height and angle, it requires a complex mechanism, such as the use of a special telescopic link component.

In view of these problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that allows for adjustment of the height and angle of the seat cushion using a simple mechanism.

The first invention of this invention relates to a vehicle seat comprising a seat cushion, a rotation axis disposed in front of the seat cushion with its axial direction in the direction of the seat width relative to the floor, and a fixing device disposed behind the rotation axis, wherein the fixing device comprises a locking device disposed on the seat cushion and an engaging device disposed on the floor and into which the locking device can engage, and the engaging device comprises a normal-use device that engages with the locking device in a normal position where the seat cushion is in its normal state, and a desk work device that engages with the locking device at a position higher than the normal position, and the desk work device is capable of taking both a usage state where it protrudes upward from the floor and a stored state at a position lower than the usage state.

According to the first invention, the seat cushion's height and angle can be adjusted with a simple mechanism that supports the front of the seat cushion so as to be rotatable relative to the floor by a pivot axis, and provides a locking device on the seat cushion side and an engagement device on the floor side consisting of a normal-use device and a desk-work device at the rear of the seat cushion.

The second invention of this invention is characterized in that, in the first invention described above, the normal-use device is a fixed striker fixed to the floor with its axial direction in the direction of the sheet width, and the desk work device is a movable striker with its axial direction in the direction of the sheet width, whose vertical position relative to the floor can be changed.

According to the second invention, the engagement device can consist of a fixed striker and a movable striker, thus simplifying the mechanism.

The third invention of this invention is a tumble seat characterized in that, in the first or second invention described above, the vehicle seat has a seat back that is rotatably attached to the rear end side of the seat cushion via a pivot axis whose axial direction is in the seat width direction, and the seat cushion and seat back can be rotated around the pivot axis to be raised, thereby achieving a storage state that is substantially perpendicular to the floor, with the seat back facing and overlapping the seat cushion.

According to the third invention, even if the vehicle seat is a tumble seat, the height and angle of the seat cushion can be adjusted with a simple mechanism.

The fourth invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second invention described above, the movable striker comprises a cylindrical striker, a pair of opposing and parallel link plates, and a support bracket having a pair of opposing and vertically extending side portions and a bottom portion connecting the lower ends of the pair of side portions. The striker is attached to one end of the pair of link plates, the other end of the pair of link plates is rotatably supported by the pair of side portions of the support bracket, at least one of the pair of side portions has a stopper portion formed therein that abuts against either of the pair of link plates to stop the rotation of the pair of link plates, and the bottom portion is fixed to the floor.

According to the fourth invention, a movable striker can be constructed with a simple structure consisting of a striker, a pair of link plates, and a support bracket.

This is a side view of an automotive seat according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the locking mechanism in its normal position. This is a side view of the automobile seat of the above embodiment, seen from the side. It shows the locking device in a position higher than its normal position. This is a side view of the locking device of the above embodiment, showing the unlocked state. This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in Figure 3. This is a side view of the locking device of the above embodiment. It shows the locked state. This is a perspective view of the moving striker of the above embodiment. This is a side view of the movable striker of the above embodiment. This is a side view of an automobile seat according to another embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the side.

Based on Figures 1 to 7, an automobile seat 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the explanation of direction will be based on the up, down, front, and rear directions shown in each figure. Here, the up, down, front, and rear directions are defined based on the automobile seat 1 when it is mounted on the floor 40. The left and right direction corresponds to the seat width direction. Here, the automobile seat 1 corresponds to the "vehicle seat" in the claims.

As shown in Figure 1, the automobile seat 1 comprises a seat cushion 2 that supports the buttocks and thighs of the seated occupant, a seat back 3 that supports the lumbar region and back of the seated occupant, and a headrest 16 that supports the head of the seated occupant.

The seat cushion 2 comprises a frame 4 forming the skeletal structure, a pad 5 which is a cushioning material fitted over the frame 4, and a trim cover 6 which is a surface material covering the surface of the pad 5. The lower front end of the frame 4 is rotatable around a rotation axis 8, whose axial direction is the seat width direction, and is supported by a pair of left and right brackets 7 on the floor 40. A pair of left and right locking devices 10 are attached to the lower rear end of the frame 4.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the locking device 10 comprises two opposing base plates 11, a hook 12, a pole 13, and a locking cam 14 positioned between the base plates 11. However, in Figures 3 and 5, the base plate 11 located on the near side of the page is removed. The locking device 10 is fixed to the left and right ends of the frame 4 by rivets 9 extending in the left-right direction to the two base plates 11. Figure 3 shows the unlocked state, and Figure 5 shows the locked state.

The base plate 11 has a recess 111 that opens downwards at its lower end. This recess 111 can receive the engagement device S (fixed striker 20 or movable striker 30) from its open side. The base plate 11 also has a stopper 112 with a partially bent edge near the lower rear side, and a spring attachment portion 113 with a partially bent upper front side. Here, the locking device 10 and the engagement device S correspond to the "fixing device" in the claims.

The hook 12 is supported so as to rotate on the axis of a hook shaft 121, whose ends are fixed to two base plates 11. The hook 12 has a hook recess 122 that opens downwards and forwards in Figure 3. The hook recess 122 engages with the engaging device S, which is received in a recess 111 of the base plate 11, and the locking device 10 is locked by clamping the engaging device S between the recess 111 and the hook recess 122. The hook 12 has an engaging surface 123 on its outer circumference that is cut in the axial direction of the hook shaft 121, and a receiving surface 124 on the upper side following the engaging surface 123. The hook 12 also has a spring-loaded pin 125 that protrudes in a direction parallel to the hook shaft 121.

The pole 13 is supported on the axis of the pole shaft 131, which is rotatably supported by two base plates 11, and rotates together with the pole shaft 131. In other words, the pole shaft 131 is basically cylindrical, with two flat surfaces on the outer circumference of the part that supports the pole 13. The cross-sectional shape (oval) of these surfaces corresponds to the shape of the hole in the pole 13. The tip of the pole 13 has a locking end surface 132 that contacts the engagement surface 123 of the hook 12 to hold the hook 12 in a locked state. Furthermore, the pole 13 has a projection 133 that protrudes in a direction parallel to the pole shaft 131.

The base end of a release lever 15 is fixed to one end of the pole shaft 131, outside the base plate 11. An operating cable (not shown) for unlocking is connected to the tip of the release lever 15, and the release lever 15 rotates together with the pole shaft 131 when the lock is released. As a result, the pole 13 rotates integrally with the pole shaft 131.

The release lever 15 has a spring attachment portion 151 near the middle of both ends. A lock spring 152, using a tension coil spring, is attached between this spring attachment portion 151 and the spring attachment pin 125 of the hook 12. The elastic force of the lock spring 152 biases the hook 12 counterclockwise around the hook axis 121 in Figure 3, while simultaneously biasing the release lever 15 and the pole 13 clockwise around the pole axis 131 in Figure 3.

The drive cam 14 is supported to rotate on the axis of the hook shaft 121. The drive cam 14 has a contact surface 141 on the edge of the base plate 11 closest to the recess 111, which can contact the engaging device S. An opening 142 is provided in the center of the drive cam 14, shaped to avoid interference with the pole shaft 131. A portion of the edge of the opening 142 forms a locking surface 143 with a predetermined length in the front-rear direction of Figure 3. The projection 133 of the pole 13 is located within the opening 142, and this projection 133 interferes with the locking surface 143.

The locking cam 14 has a spring attachment portion 144 at its rear upper side in Figure 3. A locking spring 145, using a tension coil spring, is attached between this spring attachment portion 144 and the spring attachment portion 113 of the base plate 11. The elastic force of this locking spring 145 biases the locking cam 14 counterclockwise around the hook axis 121 in Figure 3. That is, the rotation direction of the locking cam 14 due to the biasing force of the locking spring 145 is the same as the rotation direction of the hook 12 due to the biasing force of the lock spring 152.

The operation of the locking device 10 will now be explained. When the engaging device S moves relative to the recess 111 of the base plate 11 from the unlocked state shown in Figure 3, the hook 12 rotates clockwise against the biasing force of the lock spring 152, and its hook recess 122 engages with the engaging device S (Figure 5). The pole 13 disengages from the receiving surface 124 of the hook 12 and rotates clockwise due to the biasing force of the lock spring 152, causing the locking end surface 132 of the pole 13 to contact the engaging surface 123 of the hook 12, locking the hook 12 in the rotational position shown in Figure 5. Also, the rotation of the pole 13 causes the projection 133 to disengage from the locking surface 143 of the drive cam 14, and the drive cam 14 rotates counterclockwise due to the biasing force of the drive spring 145. As a result, the contact surface 141 of the cam 14 abuts against the engagement device S, and the biasing force of the drive spring 152 presses the engagement device S from the opposite direction of the hook 12, holding the locking device 10 in the locked state. In this locked state, the engagement device S is firmly clamped at three points: the recess 111 of the base plate 11, the hook recess 122 of the hook 12, and the contact surface 141 of the drive cam 14. Therefore, the locking device 10 and the engagement device S are coupled without any play.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the engagement device S installed on the floor 40 includes a fixed striker 20 that engages with the locking device 10 in its normal position, and a movable striker 30 for desk work that can engage at a position higher than the normal position. The fixed striker 20 and the movable striker 30 are provided in pairs, one on each side, corresponding to the locking device 10. Here, the fixed striker 20 and the movable striker 30 correspond to the "normal use device" and the "desk work device" in the claims, respectively.

The fixed striker 20 is a cylindrical member with its axial direction running left to right, and is positioned on the front side of a recess 42 that is recessed from the general surface 41 of the floor 40. When the locking device 10 engages with the fixed striker 20, the locking device 10 is in its normal position, and the seat cushion 2 is in its normal state, supporting the occupant in a normal seating posture.

The movable striker 30 is configured to be selectable between a stored state, where it is positioned in the recessed portion 42 of the floor 40 as shown in Figure 1, and a usage state, where it is positioned higher than the general surface portion 41 of the floor 40 as shown in Figure 2. Specifically, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the movable striker 30 is rotatable vertically around a striker rotation axis 32, whose axial direction is left-right, relative to a striker bracket 33 fixed to the bottom surface of the recessed portion 42 of the floor 40 by a pair of left and right arms 31. The pair of left and right arms 31 are strip-shaped with the same shape, and when facing each other, their front ends in Figure 6 are connected to the striker rotation axis 32 and their rear ends to the movable striker 30. The striker bracket 33 has a bottom portion 331 fixed to the bottom surface of the recessed portion 42, and a pair of left and right side portions 332 that extend upward from the left and right ends of the bottom portion 331, facing each other. The left and right ends of the striker rotation shaft 32 are fixed in a spanner-like manner between a pair of left and right side sections 332. A stopper section 333 extending to the right is formed on the left side section 332. When the pair of left and right arms 31 are rotated counterclockwise around the striker rotation shaft 32 together with the movable striker 30 in Figure 7, the front side of the left arm 31 abuts against the stopper section 333, stopping the rotation. In Figure 7, the state shown by the solid line is the stored state of the movable striker 30, and the state shown by the dashed line is the operational state of the movable striker 30. In Figure 2, the dimension of the line connecting the center of the rotation shaft 8 and the center of the movable striker 30 in the operational state of the movable striker 30 is set to be equal to the dimension of the line connecting the center of the rotation shaft 8 and the center of the fixed striker 20. Here, the arms 31 and the striker bracket 33 correspond to the "link plate" and "support bracket" in the claims, respectively.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the seat back 3 is rotatably connected at its lower end to the rear end of the seat cushion 2. The seat back 3 can be positioned in an upright position (shown by the solid line in Figure 1) and in a reclined position (shown by the dashed line in Figure 1) where the seat cushion 2 faces the seat cushion 2. The automobile seat 1 is a so-called tumble seat, where the seat back 3 can be reclined, and the seat cushion 2 can be rotated together with the seat back 3 around the pivot axis 8 to be stored.

The embodiment configured as described above provides the following effects. The automobile seat 1 has its front end lower side supported so as to be rotatable relative to the floor 40 around a pivot axis 8. The rear end lower side of the seat cushion 2 is provided with an engagement device S consisting of a pair of left and right locking devices 10 on the seat cushion 2 side, and a fixed striker 20 and a movable striker 30 on the floor 40 side. This allows for adjustment of the seat height and angle of the seat cushion 2 with a simple mechanism.

Furthermore, the automobile seat 1 is a tumble seat that allows the seat cushion 2 and seat back 3 to be rotated around the rotation axis 8, with the seat back 3 overlapping the seat cushion 2, to achieve a nearly perpendicular storage position relative to the floor 40. This allows for adjustment of the seat height and angle of the seat cushion 2 with a simple mechanism, even though the automobile seat 1 is a tumble seat.

Furthermore, the movable striker 30 has a structure that allows it to rotate vertically around the striker rotation axis 32 relative to the striker bracket 33, which is fixed to the bottom surface of the recess 42 of the floor 40 by a pair of left and right arms 31. A stopper portion 333 is formed on the left side surface 332 of the striker bracket 33. This allows for a simple structure to be constructed for the movable striker 30.

Figure 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the above embodiment is that the seat cushion 2A and the seat back 3A are each attached separately to the floor 40A. Components common to the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted. The seat cushion 2A has a frame 4A that forms the skeleton, a pad 5A which is a cushioning material that is placed over the frame 4A, and a trim cover 6A which is a surface material that covers the surface of the pad 5A. The lower front end of the frame 4A is rotatable about a rotation axis 8 whose axial direction is the seat width direction and which is supported by a pair of left and right brackets 7A that are placed over the floor 40A. A pair of left and right locking devices 10 are attached to the lower rear end of the frame 4A. As shown by the solid lines in Figure 8, when the locking device 10 engages with the fixed striker 20, the locking device 10 is in its normal position, and the seat cushion 2A is in its normal state, supporting the occupant in a normal seating posture. Furthermore, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 8, when the locking device 10 engages with the movable striker 30 in use, the locking device 10 is in a position higher than its normal position, and the seat cushion 2A is in an optimal position for desk work. The seat back 3A is rotatably connected in the front-rear direction to a bracket 43 fixed to the floor 40A at its lower end.

The embodiment configured as described above provides the following effects. The automobile seat 1A has its front end lower side supported rotatably around a pivot axis 8 relative to the floor 40A. The rear end lower side of the seat cushion 2A is provided with an engagement device S consisting of a pair of left and right locking devices 10 on the seat cushion 2A side, and a fixed striker 20 and a movable striker 30 on the floor 40A side. This allows for adjustment of the seat height and angle of the seat cushion 2A with a simple mechanism.

Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to their appearance and configuration, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without altering the essence of the invention. For example, the following are possible:

1. In the above embodiment, the movable striker 30 is configured to be positioned within the recessed portion 42 of the floor 40 when stored. However, the configuration is not limited to this; it may also be positioned outside the recessed portion 42 of the floor 40 when stored.

2. In the above embodiment, the present invention was applied to an automobile seat 1, but it may also be applied to seats in railway vehicles, etc.

1.1A Automotive seat 2.2A Seat cushion 3.3A Seat back 8 Rotating shaft 10 Locking device (fixing device)
20. Fixed striker (standard equipment)
30. Mobile Striker (Desk work device, Striker)
31. Arm (link plate)
32. Striker rotation axis 33. Striker bracket (support bracket)
40, 40A Floor 41 General surface 42 Recessed part 331 Bottom surface 332 Side surface 333 Stopper part S Engagement device

Claims (4)

A vehicle seat comprising a seat cushion, a rotation axis positioned in front of the seat cushion with its axial direction in the direction of the seat width relative to the floor, and a fixing device positioned behind the rotation axis,
The fixing device comprises a locking device disposed on the seat cushion and an engaging device disposed on the floor and into which the locking device can engage.
The engagement device comprises a normal-use device that engages with the locking device in the normal position where the seat cushion is in its normal state, and a desk work device that engages with the locking device at a position higher than the normal position.
The desk work device is a vehicle seat that can be positioned in a state of use where it protrudes upward from the floor, and in a stored state where it is positioned lower than the state of use. In claim 1,
The aforementioned standard device is a fixed striker fixed to the floor with its axial direction in the direction of the sheet width,
The aforementioned desk work device is a vehicle seat which is a movable striker whose axial direction is the seat width direction and whose vertical position relative to the floor can be changed. In claim 1 or claim 2, the vehicle seat has a seat back that is rotatably attached to the rear end side of the seat cushion via a pivot axis whose axial direction is in the seat width direction,
A vehicle seat which is a tumble seat that allows the seat cushion and the seat back to be rotated around the rotation axis so as to be raised when the seat back is placed opposite and overlapping the seat cushion, thereby achieving a storage state that is substantially perpendicular to the floor. The movable striker in claim 2 comprises a cylindrical striker, a pair of link plates extending parallel to each other, and a support bracket having a pair of side portions extending vertically to each other and a bottom portion connecting the lower ends of the pair of side portions.
The striker is attached to one end of the pair of link plates, and the other end of the pair of link plates is rotatably supported by the pair of side portions of the support bracket.
A stopper portion is formed on at least one of the pair of side portions to abut against one of the pair of link plates and stop the rotation of the pair of link plates.
The bottom portion is a vehicle seat fixed to the floor.