Patent Application
20220105835
This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0129029, filed on Oct. 6, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a seat adjustment apparatus for a vehicle, which can implement a stable posture of an occupant.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In general, front seats on which a driver and an assistant sit and rear seats provided in the rear of the front seats for additional occupants are prepared in a vehicle, and various convenience devices to improve occupants' convenience are installed on the seats.
For example, the convenience device mounted on the seat includes a seat position adjustment device adjusting the position of the seat by moving the seat in back and forth directions in accordance with manipulation by the occupant, a reclining device adjusting the tilt of a seatback, a height device adjusting the height of the seat, or a tilting device adjusting the tilting angle of the seat.
Recently, with the progress of development of an autonomous vehicle, adjustment of the seat position has been applied more broadly. However, we have discovered that the seat using the tilting device in the related art is tilted as a whole, and thus the occupant's lower body and buttocks ascend together. Due to this, in a seat tilting mode, the occupant's sitting height is changed, and this may cause problems that the occupant's sitting posture becomes uncomfortable.
The foregoing description of the background technology is intended merely to help the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and is not intended to mean that the present disclosure falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
The present disclosure provides a seat adjustment apparatus configured that when tilting a seat cushion, a front part of the seat cushion ascends and a rear part of the seat cushion descends, and thus the lower body of an occupant does not ascend as a whole to cause the occupant's feet not to float excessively. Through this, the present disclosure can improve convenience through implementation of a stable posture of an occupant without requiring a separate footboard for supporting the occupant's feet.
In one form of the present disclosure, a seat adjustment apparatus for a vehicle may include: a set bracket having a rear part to which a back frame is rotatably connected; and a cushion frame disposed on an upper side of the set bracket, and configured to be tilted by a link mechanism. In particular, the link mechanism includes: a first link member hinge-engaged with a front part of the set bracket and configured to support a front part of the cushion frame, and connected to a driving unit and configured to make the front part of the cushion frame ascend and descend depending on whether the driving unit operates; a second link member hinge-engaged with a rear part of the set bracket, and hinge-engaged with a middle part or a rear part of the cushion frame and configured to guide movement of the rear part of the cushion frame; and a third link member hinge-engaged with the set bracket and the cushion frame between the first link member and the second link member, and configured to determine a tilting position of the cushion frame in case that the cushion frame ascends. In one form, the first link member, the second link member and the third link member are arranged to be spaced apart from each other along a length direction of the set bracket.
The first link member may include: at least one guide link engaged with the front part of the cushion frame and including a first portion extending downward from the front part of the cushion frame, and a second portion formed with a guide slot; and a rotating link having a first end hinge-engaged with the front part of the set bracket and a second end inserted into the guide slot of the at least one guide link.
In one form, the second portion of the at least one guide link may diagonally extend rearward from the first portion of the at least one guide link, and the guide slot may extend in the same direction as an extension direction of the second portion of the at least one guide link. In another form, the rotating link may be installed to be rotated from front to rear in case that the cushion frame ascends.
In other form, the at least one guide link includes a pair of guide links provided on a first side and a second side of the set bracket.
The first link member may further include a connecting link configured to pass through the guide slots of the pair of guide links provided on both sides of the set bracket, and hinge-engaged with the second end of the rotating link.
The driving unit may include a driving motor installed in the front part of the cushion frame; and a power transfer part connected to the driving motor and having a length being varied in a linear direction depending on whether the driving motor operates, and hinge-engaged with the connecting link and configured to make the rotating link move along a guide slot together with the connecting link by moving the connecting link in case that the driving motor operates.
The second link member may have one end hinge-engaged with a higher position than positions of the first link member and the third link member in the rear of the set bracket, and the other end hinge-engaged with the middle part or the rear part of the cushion frame and extending to be curved downward.
A hinge bracket hinge-engaged with the other end of the second link member may be provided on the middle part or the rear part of the cushion frame, and the hinge bracket may be formed to be diagonally tilted downward.
The third link member may diagonally extend forward from the set bracket and may be connected to the cushion frame, and may be formed to be in a tilted state with respect to a front even in case that the cushion frame ascends.
The third link member may be positioned in a center part of the cushion frame and may be hinge-engaged with the set bracket and the cushion frame, wherein in case that the cushion frame ascends, the front part of the cushion frame ascends and the rear part of the cushion frame descends, such that a leg part of an occupant is raised and a hip point of the occupant moves downward.
The third link member may be positioned on the rear part side of the cushion frame and may be hinge-engaged with the set bracket and the cushion frame, wherein in case that the cushion frame ascends, the front part of the cushion frame is tilted at a larger angle than an angle of the rear part, such that a leg part of an occupant is raised, but a hip point of the occupant is maintained.
The third link member may be positioned on the front part side of the cushion frame and may be hinge-engaged with the set bracket and the cushion frame, wherein in case that the cushion frame ascends, the rear part of the cushion frame is tilted at a larger angle than an angle of the front part, such that a hip point of an occupant moves downward, being lower than a height at which a leg part of the occupant is raised.
According to the seat adjustment apparatus for the vehicle having the above-described structure, in case that the seat cushion is tilted, the front part of the seat cushion ascends and the rear part of the seat cushion descends, and thus the lower body of the occupant does not ascend as a whole to cause the occupant's feet not to float excessively. Through this, a separate footboard for supporting the occupant's feet is not required, and convenience is improved through implementation of the stable posture of the occupant.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
Hereinafter, a seat adjustment apparatus for a vehicle according to exemplary forms of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As illustrated in
Here, the set bracket 100 is installed on a moving rail R2 sliding on a fixed rail R1, and moves along the fixed rail R1 together with the moving rail R2. The set bracket 100 may be provided with a base bracket 110 in consideration of the installation position of the back frame 500, and the back frame 500 may be rotatably installed on the base bracket 110 via a recliner.
The set bracket 100 is provided with a plurality of link mechanism 300, and a seat cushion is installed to be able to be tilted via the plurality of link mechanisms 300. Here, the link mechanism 300 may include a first link member 310 hinge-engaged with a front part 100a of the set bracket 100 and configured to support a front part 200a of the cushion frame 200, and connected to a driving unit 400 and configured to make the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascend and descend depending on an operation of the driving unit 400; a second link member 320 hinge-engaged with a rear part 100b of the set bracket 100, and hinge-engaged with a middle part 200c or a rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 and configured to guide movement of the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200; and a third link member 330 which is hinge-engaged with the set bracket 100 and the cushion frame 200, and disposed between the first link member 310 and the second link member 320. In particular, the third link member 330 is configured to determine a tilting position of the cushion frame 200 in case that the cushion frame 200 ascends.
That is, since the first link member 310 is hinge-engaged with the front part 100a of the set bracket 100 and supports the cushion frame 200, the set bracket 100 may ascend or descend when the first link member 310 is rotated. The first link member 310 may be rotated by the driving unit 400 installed on the cushion frame 200 or the set bracket 100.
The second link member 320 is hinge-engaged with the rear part 100b of the set bracket 100 and the middle part 200c or the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200. Through this, when the driving unit 400 operates and the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascends through the first link member 310, the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 moves rotatably corresponding to the ascending of the front part 200a, and thus the tilting operation of the cushion frame 200 can be performed.
The third link member 330 is hinge-engaged with the set bracket 100 and the cushion frame 200 and disposed between the first link member 310 and the second link member 320, and determines the tilting position of the cushion frame 200 when the cushion frame 200 ascends. That is, when the cushion frame 200 ascends, the third link member 330 is rotated together with the cushion frame 200 to make the cushion frame 200 be tilted. As described above, since the third link member 330 is rotated together when the cushion frame 200 ascends, the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascends, but the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 descends as the ascending of the front part 200a is regulated by the third link member 330.
As described above, when the driving unit 400 operates, the cushion frame 200 performs a tilting operation in which the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascends and the rear part 200b thereof descends by means of the first link member 310, the second link member 320, and the third link member 330, such that an occupant does not ascend as a whole, but only front parts of the occupant's legs ascend, and thus a comfortable sitting posture is maintained.
The present disclosure as described above will be described in detail. As can be seen from
As described above, since the first link member 310 includes the guide link 311 and the rotating link 313, and the rotating link 313 moves along the guide slot 312 of the guide link 311 when the rotating link 313 is rotated, the guide link 311 performs a linear motion through the rotating motion of the rotating link 313 to make the cushion frame 200 ascend or descend.
For this, the guide link 311 may include a first portion extending downward from the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200, and a second portion formed with the guide slot. In one form, as illustrated in
Meanwhile, the first link member 310 may further include a connecting link 314 configured to pass through a guide slot 312 of each guide link 311 provided on both sides of the set bracket 100, and hinge-engaged with the other end of each rotating link 313. Through this, the first link member 310 provided on both sides of the set bracket 100 can be simultaneously rotated by the connection with the connecting link 314. In the present disclosure, not only a pair of first link members 310 but also pairs of second link members 320 and third link members 330 are provided on both sides of the set bracket 100.
The driving unit 400 rotating the first link member 310 includes a driving motor 410 installed in the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200; and a power transfer part 420 connected to the driving motor 410 and having a length being varied in a linear direction depending on whether the driving motor 410 operates, and hinge-engaged with the connecting link 314 and configured to make the rotating link 313 move along a guide slot 312 together with the connecting link 314 by moving the connecting link 314 rearward when the driving motor 410 operates.
Here, the driving motor 410 may be composed of a motor of which forward and reverse rotation is possible, and may be installed on the cushion frame 200 through a motor bracket 411. The power transfer part 420 may be composed of a rod screw receiving a rotating force transferred from the driving motor 410 and being drawn out or drawn in. Further, the power transfer part 420 may be hinge-engaged with the connecting link 314 via a connecting bracket 315, and may be drawn out rearward when the driving motor 410 operates.
Through this, when the driving motor 410 for moving the cushion frame 200 upward operates, the power transfer part 420 is drawn out in accordance with the operation of the driving motor 410 to push the connecting link 314 rearward, and the rotating link 313 connected to the connecting link 314 is rotated rearward and simultaneously moves along the guide slot 312 of the guide link 311, so that the guide link 311 is raised by the rotating link 313 to make the cushion frame 200 ascend. As described above, by moving the connecting link 314 through one driving unit 400, the guide link 311 and the rotating link 313 provided on both sides of the set bracket 100 are simultaneously rotated, and thus the cushion frame 200 can be stably moved upward.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in
That is, the second link member 320 may be formed to be curved in a “C” shape, and may have one end hinge-engaged with the base bracket 110 provided on the set bracket 100 and the other end hinge-engaged with the middle part 200c or the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 to enable the tilting operation in accordance with the ascending and descending of the cushion frame 200 to be performed. The above second link member 320 makes a rotation point be set in the middle part 200c or the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200, such that the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascends while the rear part 200b descends. If the second link member 320 is formed simply in a straight line, the second link member 320 is rotated upward together to make the cushion frame 200 ascend forward when the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascends. However, since the second link member 320 of the present disclosure is formed to be curved in the “C” shape, it enables the cushion frame 200 to move rearward when the cushion frame 200 ascends, and thus the ascending operation of the front part 200a and the descending operation of the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 can be simultaneously performed.
Here, a hinge bracket 120 hinge-engaged with the other end of the second link member 320 may be provided on the middle part 200c or the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200, and the hinge bracket 120 may be formed to be diagonally tilted downward. Accordingly, the second link member 320 formed to be curved is connected in a straight line through the hinge bracket 120, such that the second link member 320 can stably support the cushion frame 200 via the hinge bracket 120 with respect to the tilting in accordance with the ascending of the front part 200a and the descending of the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 when the cushion frame 200 ascends.
Further, as can be shown in
Meanwhile, the third link member 330 may diagonally extend forward from the set bracket 100 and may be connected to the cushion frame 200, and may be formed to be in a tilted state with respect to the front even in case that the cushion frame 200 ascends. Since the third link member 330 diagonally extends forward from the set bracket 100, it guides the rearward movement of the cushion frame 200 while corresponding to the ascending of the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 when the cushion frame 200 ascends. For this, the third link member 330 may be formed to be shorter than the final length obtained through unfolding of the first link member 310.
The tilting angle of the cushion frame 200 can be adjusted in accordance with the installation position of the third link member 330 between the first link member 310 and the second link member 320.
That is, as illustrated in
Here, since the third link member 330 is installed on the center side between the first link member 310 connected to the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 and the second link member 320 connected to the middle part 200c or the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200, it enables the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 to ascend and enables the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 to descend when the cushion frame 200 ascends. That is, as shown in
Through this, the occupant's leg part is raised and moves upward, and simultaneously, the occupant's hip point moves downward.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in
That is, in case that the third link member 330 is installed adjacent to the position where the second link member 320 is connected to the cushion frame 200 in the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200, the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascends, but the rear part 200b makes the descending length relatively small when the cushion frame 200 ascends. Accordingly, as shown in
Through this, the occupant's leg part is raised, but the height of the occupant's hip point is not greatly changed, and thus the position of the hip point can be maintained.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in
That is, in case that the third link member 330 is installed adjacent to the position where the first link member 310 is connected to the cushion frame 200 in the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200, the height at which the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 ascends is relatively small when the cushion frame 200 ascends, but the descending length of the rear part 200b can be greatly secured.
Accordingly, as shown in
Through this, the occupant's hip point can move downward, being lower than the height at which the occupant's leg part is raised.
As described above, when the cushion frame 200 ascends, the third link member 330 enables the front part 200a of the cushion frame 200 to ascend and enables the rear part 200b of the cushion frame 200 to descend, and by changing the tilting trajectory of the cushion frame 200 in accordance with the installation position of the third link member 330, it is possible to implement an optimum posture matching the seat sitting posture demanded by the occupant.
According to the present disclosure as described above, the cushion frame 200 is initially positioned as illustrated in
Through this, during the seat tilting mode, the occupant's buttocks do not float high, and thus the lower body of the occupant can maintain a stable posture.
According to the seat adjustment apparatus for the vehicle having the above-described structure, when the seat cushion is tilted, the front part of the seat cushion ascends and the rear part of the seat cushion descends, and thus the lower body of the occupant does not ascend as a whole to cause the occupant's feet not to float excessively. Through this, a separate footboard for supporting the occupant's feet is not required, and the convenience is improved through implementation of the stable posture of the occupant.
Although exemplary forms of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described for illustrative purposes, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2020-0129029 | Oct 2020 | KR | national |
