The present invention relates to a vehicle seat mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, an airplane, a ship, a train, etc.
As an example of a vehicle seat, a seat using a cushion material which combines a soft pad and a lightweight hard pad provided on a back surface side of the soft pad for weight reduction, etc., is exemplified. As a method of integrating the pads, a method of bonding the pads and a method of mechanically coupling the pads are exemplified. In Patent Document 1, the latter method (mechanical coupling) has been studied from the viewpoint that the former method (bonding) causes hardening of the interface between the pads and adversely affecting sitting comfort.
Specifically, in Patent Document 1, a wire which is used for mechanical coupling is integrated with the soft pad, and the wire is penetrated through the hard pad and coupled to a vehicle body structural member (hereinafter referred to as a “seat fixed member”).
In the method described in Patent Document 1, the pads are integrated by coupling a wire to a vehicle body structural member (in other words, assembling a seat to the vehicle body). That is, a soft pad and a hard pad are not integrated until the seat is assembled to the vehicle body. Therefore, in fact, when assembling the seat to the vehicle body, mutual positions of the pads are adjusted so as to prevent displacement between the soft pad and the hard pad. Such adjustment of the mutual positions may be a reason why workability of the work of assembling the seat to the vehicle is lowered.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat in which a soft pad and a hard pad configuring a cushion material of the vehicle seat are mechanically integrated with each other and which can be assembled to a vehicle without requiring adjustment of mutual positions of the soft pad and the hard pad configuring.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a vehicle seat includes a cushion material in which a soft pad and a hard pad having different hardness from each other are combined, wherein the soft pad is provided with an engagement protrusion protruding toward the hard pad, wherein the hard pad is provided with a recessed portion receiving the engagement protrusion, wherein the recessed portion has a wall surface extending in a direction intersecting an assembling direction of the soft pad and the hard pad, wherein one of the wall surface and the engagement protrusion includes a protruding portion, wherein another of the wall surface and the engagement protrusion includes an engagement portion which is engaged with the protruding portion, and wherein the protruding portion and the engagement portion are engaged with each other to restrict relative movement between the soft pad and the hard pad in the assembling direction.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the engagement protrusion may be configured by, for example, a wire, a metal protruding piece which is fixed to a frame member of the seat, and a resin rod which is embedded and fixed in the soft pad, etc. The recessed portion may be configured by, for example, a cavity which is formed in the hard pad and a container which is fixed to the hard pad, etc. The protruding portion may be provided, for example, on the wall surface of the recessed portion and outside the engagement protrusion. The engagement portion may be configured by, for example, a wire forming the engagement protrusion, and a step portion and a recess of a wall surface of the recessed portion.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a state where the soft pad and the hard pad are combined, the engagement protrusion provided on the soft pad is fitted into the recessed portion provided in the hard pad. Therefore, even if one of the soft pad and the hard pad attempts to move relative to the other in a direction intersecting the assembling direction of the pads, the engagement protrusion come into contact with the wall surface of the recessed portion and the relative movement thereof is restricted. Further, even if one of the soft pad and the hard pad attempts to moves relative to the other in a direction opposite to the assembling direction (the direction in which both pads are separated), the protruding portion and the engagement portion are engaged with each other to restrict relative movement.
Therefore, the vehicle seat, in which the soft pad and the hard pad configuring the cushion material of the vehicle seat are mechanically integrated with each other, can be assembled to the vehicle without requiring adjustment of mutual positions of the soft pad and the hard pad.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect described above, the soft pad is fixed to the frame member serving as a framework for ensuring rigidity as the vehicle seat, and the engagement protrusion is provided to the frame member.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the frame member may be configured by, for example, a wire frame, a frame in which metal plates are combined, and an integral molding frame of a resin, etc. Further, the frame member may be embedded in the soft pad, or may be bonded to the soft pad for example.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the engagement protrusion is provided to the framework (frame member) of the soft pad, the coupling strength between the soft pad and the hard pad via the engagement protrusion can be enhanced as compared with a case where the engagement protrusion is provided as a separate member independent of the frame member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect described above, the frame member is formed of a wire in which a wire material is molded into a predetermined shape, and the engagement protrusion is configured by the wire.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the engagement protrusion is configured by the wire configuring the frame member, the configuration of the engagement protrusion can be simplified as compared with the case where the engagement protrusion is provided as a separate member independent of the wire.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect described above, the engagement protrusion includes a protruding shape portion having a convex shape in which a part of the wire protrudes toward the hard pad, and the protruding shape portion is received in the recessed portion, configures the engagement portion, and is engaged with the protruding portion provided on the wall surface.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the engagement protrusion is formed on the wire forming the frame member, it is possible to eliminate the work of fixing the engagement protrusion to the frame member. Further, since the engagement portion which is engaged with the protruding portion provided on the wall surface can be configured by the protruding shape portion, it is not necessary to prepare the engagement portion as a separate member independent of the wire. Therefore, the productivity of the vehicle seat is enhanced.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect described above, the protruding shape portion is configured such that a width of a protruding end side portion corresponding to a protruding end of the convex shape is smaller than an interval between a pair of base end side portions corresponding to a base end of the convex shape, and the recessed portion has a recessed portion shape which corresponds to the convex shape, a width of a portion of the recessed shape portion where a pair of the protruding end side portions are arranged being smaller than a width of a portion of the recessed shape portion where the base end side portion is arranged.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the shape of the recessed portion formed in the hard pad corresponds to a bent shape of the wire in which the protruding end side portion is narrower than the interval between the base end side portions. Therefore, a molding die for molding the recessed portions of the hard pad has a shape gradually expanding in the direction of separating the molding die. Therefore, as compared with the case of providing an undercut portion, etc., in the molding die, the hard pad can be easily separated from the molding die, and the hard pad can be easily manufactured.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect described above, the protruding shape portion includes a pair of connecting portions which connect the protruding end side portion and the pair of base end side portions, wherein a bending angle between the wire configuring one of the pair of connecting portions and the wire extending from one of the pair of base end side portions is larger than a bending angle between the wire configuring another of the pair of connecting portions and the wire extending from another of the pair of base end side portions, and wherein the one of the pair of connecting portions is arranged at a position where a larger seating pressure is received as compared with the other of the pair of connecting portions when an occupant sits on the vehicle seat.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion on the side where the bending angle is large among the pair of connecting portions which connect the protruding end side portion of the wire forming the protruding shape portion and the base end side portion is arranged at a position receiving a large seating pressure when the occupant sits on the vehicle seat. As a result, it is difficult for the connecting portion to bring a feeling of foreign matter to the occupant.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first to sixth aspects described above, the recessed portion includes a pair of the wall surfaces, and, among the pair of wall surfaces, the protruding portion is provided on the wall surface which is provided at a position closer to a center of gravity of the hard pad.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the protruding portion is formed on the wall surface of the recessed portion of the hard pad, the undercut portion corresponding to the protruding portion is provided in the molding die of the hard pad. When the hard pad is separated from the molding die after molding, the protruding portion is separated from the molding die while being pressed against the undercut portion of the molding die and deformed. Since the protruding portion is provided on the wall surface located on a side closer to the center of gravity of the hard pad, only the protruding portion and the periphery thereof are deformed when the protruding portion is pressed against the molding die, and deformation of most of hard foam can be suppressed. Here, if the protruding portion is provided on the wall surface located on a side away from the center of gravity of the hard pad, when the hard pad is separated from the molding die, not only the protruding portion but also the hard pad located away from the center of gravity than the recessed portion (a portion from the recessed portion to an end portion of the hard pad. Generally, a wall thickness is thinner than the hard pad on the side closer to the center of gravity) may be pressed against the molding die and deformed.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect described above, the wire includes a plurality of the protruding shape portions, and the plurality of protruding shape portions are arranged such that a virtual plane to which the wire configuring one of the plurality of protruding shape portions belongs and a virtual plane to which the wire configuring the other of the plurality of protruding shape portions belongs intersect with each other.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of protruding shape portions are provided, and a virtual plane to which a bent wire configuring one of the plurality of protruding shape portions belongs and a virtual plane to which a bent wire configuring the other of the plurality of protruding shape portions belongs intersect with each other. Therefore, when an external force is applied to the cushion material, the plurality of protruding shape portions can be prevented from being separated from the connecting portions at the same time, and engaging force between the soft pad and the hard pad as a whole of the cushion material can be enhanced.
As shown in
In the present embodiment, a seat surface facing an occupant when the occupant sits on a seat according to the present embodiment is referred to as a “front surface”, and a seat surface on the side opposite to the “front surface” is referred to as a “back surface”.
The urethane pad 10 has a hardness which brings an appropriate cushion feeling to the occupant seated on the seat. The hard foam 20 has a hardness superior to that of the urethane pad 10 in resistance to pressing deformation. Specifically, the hard foam 20 has a hardness enough to suppress the cushion pad 1 from being excessively deformed (excessively sunk) when the occupant sits on the cushion pad 1 after the cushion pad 1 is fixed to a vehicle body of the automobile. In addition to having such hardness, the hard foam 20 is configured by using a material which has a smaller weight per unit volume than that of the urethane pad 10. As a result, the weight reduction of the cushion pad 1 can be realized as compared with the case where a high weight material is used by focusing only on the hardness of the hard foam 20.
As shown in
A wire 30 is embedded inside the urethane pad 10. Specifically, when the urethane pad 10 is molded by using a molding die for foam molding, the urethane pad 10 is foamed and molded in a state where the wire 30, in which wire material is molded into a predetermined shape, is preliminarily arranged inside the molding die. As a result, the wire 30 is embedded in the urethane pad 10. The wire 30 is used as a framework for ensuring rigidity of the urethane pad 10 as the seat cushion, and is formed along the outer shape of the cushion pad 1. That is, the wire 30 is a frame member of the urethane pad 10.
As shown in
As shown in
Recessed portions 21, 23 as shown in
By inserting the protruding shape portions 31, 32 of the urethane pad 10 into the recessed portions 21, 23 of the hard foam 20, the urethane pad 10 is fixed to the hard foam 20 so as not to move relative to the hard foam 20 in each of the front, rear, left, and right directions.
As shown in
As shown in
In forming the protruding portions 22, 24, an undercut portion is provided in the molding die of the hard foam 20. When the hard foam 20 is separated from the molding die after molding, the protruding portions 22, 24 are separated from the molding die while being pressed against the undercut portion of the molding die and deformed. In consideration of the separation from the molding die, the protruding portions 22, 24 are provided on the wall surfaces 21e, 23c located on a side closer to a center of gravity of the hard foam 20 among the wall surfaces 21d, 21e, 23b, 23c (see
Incidentally, if the protruding portions 22, 24 are provided on the wall surfaces 21d, 23b located on the side away from the center of gravity of the hard foam 20, when the hard foam 20 is separated from the molding die, not only the protruding portions 22, 24 but also the hard foam 20 located away from the center of gravity than the recessed portions 21, 23 (a portion from the recessed portions 21, 23 to an end portion of the hard foam 20. Generally, a wall thickness is thinner than the hard foam 20 on the side closer to the center of gravity) may be pressed against the molding die and deformed. In the present embodiment, since the protruding portions 22, 24 are provided on the wall surfaces 21e, 23c located on the side closer to the center of gravity of the hard foam 20, only the protruding portions 22, 24 and the periphery thereof are deformed when the protruding portions 22, 24 are pressed against the molding die, and deformation of most of the hard foam 20 as described above can be suppressed.
As shown in
In order to form the recessed portion 21 into the shape described above, the molding die for molding the recessed portion 21 of the hard foam 20 has a shape expanding in the front-back direction gradually in the direction of separating the molding die. Therefore, as compared with the case of providing the undercut portion in the molding die as described above, the hard foam 20 can be easily separated from the molding die, and the hard foam 20 can be easily manufactured.
A pair of connecting portions 31c which connect both front and rear sides of the protruding end side portion 31a to the pair of base end side portions 31b have different shapes (asymmetric shapes in a front-rear direction). Specifically, the pair of connecting portions 31c has a shape in which each angle (bending angle) formed by each of the wires 30 extending from the base end side portion 31b and each of the connecting portions 31c is different in the front-rear direction. In other words, a bending angle between the wire configuring one of the pair of connecting portions 31c and the wire 30 extending from one of the pair of base end side portions 31b is different from a bending angle between the wire configuring another of the pair of connecting portions 31c and the wire 30 extending from another of the pair of base end side portions 31b. The pair of connecting portions 31c is configured such that a bending angle of a rear side is larger than a bending angle of a front side. The wire 30 is configured such that the rear connecting portion 31c having a larger bending angle is located on a side where a seating pressure increases when the occupant sits on the seat. In other words, one of the pair of connecting portions 31c (a larger bending angle) is arranged at a position which receives a larger seating pressure than the other one of the pair of connecting portions 31c (a smaller bending angle) when the occupant sits on the seat. As a result, it is difficult for a bent wire 30 for forming the protruding shape portion 31 to bring a feeling of foreign matter to the buttock of the seated occupant.
As shown in
As shown in
Although a specific embodiment have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the appearances and configurations, various modifications, additions and deletions are possible without changing the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the vehicle seat according to the present invention is applied to the automobile rear seat. However, the vehicle seat according to the present configuration may be applied to a front seat of an automobile. Further, in the above embodiment, the structure of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is applied to the cushion pad of the seat cushion. However, the structure of the vehicle seat according to the present invention may be applied to the back pad of the seat back. In addition, in the above embodiment, the vehicle seat according to the present invention is applied to an automobile seat. However, the vehicle seat according to the present invention may be applied to a seat mounted on an airplane, a ship, a train, etc.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application (JP-A-2016-128643), filed on Jun. 29, 2016, the contents of which are incorporated herein as reference.
According to a vehicle seat of the present invention, the vehicle seat, in which a soft pad and a hard pad configuring the cushion material of the vehicle seat are mechanically integrated with each other, can be assembled to the vehicle without requiring adjustment of mutual positions of the soft pad and the hard pad. The present invention having this effect is useful for vehicle seats.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2016-128643 | Jun 2016 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2017/023996 | 6/29/2017 | WO | 00 |