This application is a National Stage Entry application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2015/054825, filed Feb. 20, 2015, which claims the priority benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. JP2014-049934, filed Mar. 13, 2014, the contents being incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat and, more specifically, to a vehicle seat capable of housing a seat back and a seat cushion in a position lower than a vehicle body floor.
Conventionally, vehicle seats capable of housing a seat back and a seat cushion which constitute a seat main body in a housing floor formed at a position lower than a vehicle body floor are already known, and among them, vehicle rear seats capable of housing a seat main body to be folded forward in a housing floor provided in front of the seat exist, for example, see Japanese Patent Publication JP 2009-067309 (“the '309 Publication”).
The vehicle seat described in the '309 Publication includes a housing structure consisting of a mounting shaft mounted to a vehicle body floor and supporting a seat back pivotally, and a leg member whose upper end supports the front portion of a seat cushion and whose lower end is pivotally held in a holding groove fixed to a housing floor. At the time of a housing operation of a seat main body, the seat back rotates to move the seat cushion to the housing floor with respect to the vehicle body floor, and the leg member rotates around the holding groove in conjunction with the seat back, thereby capable of housing the seat main body in the housing floor. Moreover, the vehicle seat is configured to be capable of switching from a usage state that an occupant can sit to a tip-up state that the seat cushion is flipped up after detaching the leg member from the holding groove.
In the seat capable of housing the seat main body in the housing floor, like the '309 Publication, the leg member supporting the seat cushion was a long member because of being connected between the seat cushion and the housing floor. Then, when attaching and detaching the leg member to and from the holding groove in a switching operation of a usage state and a tip-up state, the deflection width in the front to back direction of the detached leg member is increased due to a long total length of the leg member, so an operation of attaching the leg member to the holding groove was made difficult. In particular, when the seat main body is somewhat roughly handled during a switching operation thereof, the moving action of the leg member was affected by such as the contact of the moving leg member with a portion of the seat, thereby making the operation of reattaching the leg member to the holding groove more difficult. Thus, a vehicle seat in which a switching operation from a usage state is easy has been demanded.
Moreover, in the seat like the '309 Publication, component parts such as the leg member and the holding groove for supporting the seat back rotatably are mounted not only on the vehicle body floor surface on which the seat main body is installed but also on the housing floor surface, which complicated the housing structure for housing the seat main body. Therefore, a vehicle seat capable of being housed in a housing floor with a simple structure has been demanded. Moreover, a vehicle seat capable of securing a wide housing space has been demanded.
The present disclosure is achieved in consideration of the above problems, and at least some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a vehicle seat in which a switching operation from a usage state is easier. Moreover, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a vehicle seat capable of being housed in a housing floor with a simple structure. Moreover, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle seat capable of securing a wide housing space without disposing component parts of a housing structure on a housing floor surface.
In accordance with a vehicle seat of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above problems are solved by the vehicle seat including a seat main body having a seat back which is a backrest portion, and a seat cushion which is connected to the seat back and is a seating portion, and capable of switching between a usage state where an occupant can sit and a movement state where the seat main body is moved from the usage state, the vehicle seat including: a seat pivot shaft provided on a vehicle body floor and connected to one end side of the seat main body in the seat front to back direction so that the seat main body is pivotable; a detachable leg whose upper end portion is mounted to the other end side of the seat main body in the seat front to back direction and whose lower end portion is detachably held onto a leg holding member provided on the vehicle body floor; and a leg guide portion guiding the detachable leg detached from the leg holding member in association with the movement of the seat main body, in which when the seat main body moves between the movement state and the usage state, the leg guide portion guides the detachable leg moving together with the seat main body not to contact a leg movement inhibiting portion which is a portion of the vehicle seat.
As described above, when the seat main body moves between the movement state and the usage state, the leg guide portion guides the detachable leg to move together with the seat main body so the detachable leg does not contact the leg movement inhibiting portion which is a portion of the vehicle seat, so the moving action of the detachable leg becomes smooth, and the detachable leg can be successfully attached and detached to and from the leg holding member. Therefore, a vehicle seat in which a switching operation from a usage state is easy is provided. Then, the leg holding member is arranged on the vehicle body floor side rather than the housing floor in conventional manner, so it is possible to reduce the total length of the detachable leg. The deflection width in the front to back direction of the detachable leg is reduced by a degree of smallness of the total length of the detachable leg, so the detachable leg is easily held by the leg holding member. Therefore, a switching operation from the usage state is facilitated. Then, the seat pivot shaft, the leg holding member, and the detachable leg are all arranged on the vehicle body floor side, so the seat main body becomes movable with a simple structure.
In an embodiment, the movement state is a housed state where the seat main body is moved to a position lower than the vehicle body floor, the seat pivot shaft is connected to the seat rear end side of the seat main body, the detachable leg is mounted to the seat front end side of the seat main body at the upper end portion thereof, and the leg guide portion guides the detachable leg when the seat main body moves from the housed state side to the usage state side. According to the above configuration, the leg guide portion guides the detachable leg when moving the seat main body from the housed state side to the usage state side, in other words, when moving the detachable leg to the leg holding member side, so a switching operation is improved. Then, component parts of a housing structure are all arranged on the vehicle body floor side, so it is possible to secure a wide housing space on the housing floor.
In an embodiment, the vehicle seat includes a support base which is provided on the vehicle body floor and to which the seat pivot shaft is mounted, and the leg holding member is mounted on the support base. According to the above configuration, the seat pivot shaft and the leg holding member are mounted on the support base having relatively high support rigidity of the vehicle seat, so mounting rigidity of the seat pivot shaft and the leg holding member is increased.
In an embodiment, when the seat main body moves from the movement state side to the usage state side, the leg guide portion guides the detachable leg to pass above the leg movement inhibiting portion which is a portion of the support base. Moreover, in an embodiment, the leg guide portion causes a cushion abutting portion provided at a position on the leg holding member side relative to the detachable leg in the seat cushion to abut a base abutting portion provided to the support base. Moreover, in an embodiment, when the cushion abutting portion abuts the base abutting portion, the detachable leg is located on the opposite side to the leg holding member side with respect to the leg movement inhibiting portion. According to the above configuration, the detachable leg can be successfully guided using the seat cushion and the support base which are existing component parts. In other words, when moving the seat main body from the housed state side to the movement state side, the cushion abutting portion and the base abutting portion are abutted in advance, thereby capable of guiding the detachable leg to pass above the leg movement inhibiting portion.
In an embodiment, the support base includes a base cover covering the support base from the outside of the support base, the base abutting portion is provided on a surface on the seat cushion side of the base cover, the seat cushion includes a cushion cover covering the seat cushion from the outside of the seat cushion, and the cushion abutting portion provided to project to a surface on the base cover side of the cushion cover is arranged overlapping with the base abutting portion in the seat width direction. According to the above configuration, the detachable leg can be successfully guided using the base cover and the cushion cover which are existing component parts.
In an embodiment, at least one abutting surface of the cushion abutting portion and the base abutting portion is formed into a convex curved surface. Moreover, in an embodiment, one abutting surface of the cushion abutting portion and the base abutting portion has a lower coefficient of friction than the other abutting surface. According to the above configuration, when the cushion abutting portion and the base abutting portion abut, it is possible to suppress scratches or damage to each other.
In an embodiment, the movement state is a housed state where the seat main body is moved to a position formed in front of the seat lower than the vehicle body floor, and the leg guide portion causes the cushion abutting portion arranged at the rear of the seat relative to the detachable leg in the seat cushion to abut the base abutting portion provided at the seat front end portion of the base cover, thereby guiding the detachable leg to pass above the leg movement inhibiting portion provided at the seat front end portion of the base cover. According to the above configuration, when moving the seat main body from the housed state side to the movement state side, it is possible to guide the detachable leg moving together with the seat main body to pass above the leg movement inhibiting portion located at the seat front end portion of the base cover.
In an embodiment, the vehicle seat includes a cushion frame serving as a framework of the seat cushion, the cushion frame includes right and left side frames arranged on the sides of the seat, and a connecting frame connecting the right and left side frames, and the cushion abutting portion is arranged in a portion corresponding to the side frames in the seat cushion. According to the above configuration, the cushion abutting portion abutting the base abutting portion is arranged in a portion with relatively increased support rigidity corresponding to the side frames in the seat cushion.
In an embodiment, the movement state is a housed state that the seat main body is moved to a position formed in front of the seat lower than the vehicle body floor, the vehicle seat includes a cushion pivoting device connecting the seat cushion with respect to the seat back pivotally, and a lock-off device provided in the seat cushion and having a lock-off lever capable of switching the cushion pivoting device from a lock state to an unlock state, and when the lock-off lever, moving together with the seat cushion, abuts a lever abutting portion provided to the support base, the cushion abutting portion is located in front of the seat with respect to the base abutting portion. According to the above configuration, when moving the seat main body from the housed state side to the usage state side, the lock-off lever abuts the lever abutting portion in advance before the cushion abutting portion serving as the leg guide portion abuts the base abutting portion, so it is possible to mitigate the impact associated with the abutment of the cushion abutting portion and the base abutting portion. Moreover, by unlocking of the lock-off device, the seat cushion is switched to a state pivotable with respect to the seat back, so it is possible to further mitigate the impact associated with the abutment of the cushion abutting portion provided to the seat cushion and the base abutting portion.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the moving action of the detachable leg becomes smooth by the leg guide portion, the detachable leg can be successfully attached and detached to and from the leg holding member, and therefore, a vehicle seat in which a switching operation from a usage state is easy is provided. Then, the leg holding member is arranged on the vehicle body floor side, so it is possible to reduce the total length of the detachable leg. The deflection width in the front to back direction of the detachable leg is reduced by a degree of smallness of the total length of the detachable leg, so the detachable leg is easily held by the leg holding member. Therefore, the switching operation from the usage state is facilitated. Then, the seat pivot shaft, the leg holding member, and the detachable leg are all arranged on the vehicle body floor side, so the seat main body becomes movable with a simple structure.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, component parts of the housing structure are all arranged on the vehicle body floor side, so it is possible to secure a wide housing space on the housing floor. According to the present disclosure, mounting rigidity of the seat pivot shaft and the leg holding member is increased. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the detachable leg can be successfully guided using the seat cushion and the support base which are existing component parts.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the detachable leg can be successfully guided using the base cover and the cushion cover which are existing component parts. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the cushion abutting portion and the base abutting portion abut, it is possible to suppress scratches or damage to each other. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cushion abutting portion abutting the base abutting portion is arranged in a portion with relatively increased support rigidity corresponding to the side frames in the seat cushion.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when moving the seat main body from the housed state side to the usage state side, the lock-off lever abuts the lever abutting portion in advance before the cushion abutting portion serving as the leg guide portion abuts the base abutting portion, so it is possible to mitigate the impact associated with the abutment of the cushion abutting portion and the base abutting portion. Moreover, by unlocking of the lock-off device, the seat cushion is switched to a state pivotable with respect to the seat back, so it is possible to further mitigate the impact associated with the abutment of the cushion abutting portion provided to the seat cushion and the base abutting portion.
Various embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings, in which:
Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle seat capable of housing a seat main body in a housing floor, including a seat pivot shaft connected so that the seat main body is pivotable, and a detachable leg whose upper end is mounted to the seat main body and whose lower end is detachably held onto a leg holding member on a vehicle body floor, in which when the seat main body moves from a housed state side to a usage state side, a leg guide portion causes a cushion abutting portion to abut a base abutting portion in advance, thereby guiding the detachable leg moving together with the seat main body to pass above a leg movement inhibiting portion which is a portion of a support base. It should be noted that the side on which an occupant sits with respect to a seat back of the vehicle seat is a seat front side.
A vehicle seat S of the present embodiment is, for example, a rear seat corresponding to a backseat of a vehicle. It should be noted that it is available as a middle seat in the second row in a vehicle including three rows of seats in the vehicle front to back direction. As shown in
The vehicle seat S is a seat capable of seat arrangements of three kinds of forms: a usage state that the occupant can sit; a housed state that the seat main body is housed in the housing floor; and a tip-up state that the seat main body is flipped up. The vehicle seat S is switched from the usage state shown in
As shown in
The rail devices 4 are arranged between the seat main body and the vehicle body floor in the up and down direction, and as shown in
The back frame 10 consists of a substantially rectangular frame-shaped body serving as a framework of the seat back 1, and as shown in
The upper end portions of the connecting brackets 11 are sandwiched between the back frame 10 and the cushion frame 20 in the seat right and left direction. On the lower end portion of the left connecting bracket 11, the seat pivot shaft 12 pivotally supported on the support base 40 in the right and left direction is provided, and on the lower end portion of the right connecting bracket 11, the reclining device 13 connecting the back frame 10 with respect to the support base 40 pivotally is mounted.
The reclining device 13 comprises a known device, and as shown in
The cushion frame 20 includes a substantially rectangular frame-shaped body serving as a framework of the seat cushion 2, and as shown in
The side frame 21 is formed of a sheet metal member extending in the seat front to back direction, the front portion thereof is connected to the front connecting pipe 22, and to the rear portion thereof, a cushion pivoting device 25 connecting the cushion frame 20 with respect to the back frame 10 pivotally is mounted.
The cushion pivoting device 25 comprises a known device, and as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The support base 40 is a member supporting the seat main body, and as shown in
The side base portion 41 is formed of a substantially eccentric-shaped sheet metal member elongated in the front to back direction, and as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The leg holding member 50 is formed of a substantially U-shaped clip member detachably holding the detachable leg 30, and as shown in
The leg holding member 50 is supported by the holding member support portion 45 at a position forwardly inclined at a predetermined angle of inclination with respect to a horizontal plane. In other words, the leg holding member 50 is supported by the holding member support portion 45 at a position where the opening portion thereof is directed forward obliquely upward. In a portion adjacent to the leg holding member 50, an inertial locking device 54 is arranged, which locks the leg connection portion 32 on the lower end portion of the detachable leg 30 in a state of being held by the leg holding member 50 at the time of rear end collision of a vehicle. The inertial locking device 54 comprises a known device, is mounted to the support base 40 as shown in
The base cover 60 is formed of a resin molded article covering the entire support base 40 from above, and as shown in
The leg accommodating concave portion 62 includes a substantially U-shaped concave portion recessed toward the lower side from the substantially central portion of the upper surface of the base cover 60, and is formed as an elongated body extending in the right and left direction. The leg accommodating concave portion 62 is composed of a pair of front and rear side wall parts 62a, a pair of right and left side wall parts 62b, and a bottom wall portion 62c connecting the lower end portions of the respective side wall parts 62a, 62b, and is arranged at a position where the opening portion thereof is directed forward obliquely upward. Of the leg accommodating concave portion 62, in the central portions in the right and left direction of the respective front and rear side wall parts 62a, substantially quadrangular through holes are formed respectively, and as shown in
As shown in
The base abutting portion 64 consists of a convex portion slightly protruding toward the upper side from the front portion of the upper surface of the base cover 60, is an elongated body extending in the seat front to back direction, and is formed as a relatively narrow shape in the seat right and left direction. Moreover, the base abutting portion 64 is arranged in one end portion in the right and left direction of the upper surface of the base cover 60, and is formed to slightly project toward the front of the seat. When the seat main body moves between the housed state and the usage state, the base abutting portion 64 is arranged at a position where the seat main body is capable of abutting a cushion abutting portion 71 (described below) provided to the cushion cover 70, and has a substantially convex shaped curved surface projecting to the cushion cover 70 side.
In the base cover 60, on each back surface on the support base 40 side of the leg accommodating concave portion 62, the leg movement restricting portion 63, and the base abutting portion 64, a reinforcing rib 65 having a predetermined shape is formed as shown in
As shown in
The cushion abutting portion 71 has a substantially convex shaped curved surface projecting to the base cover 60 side, and is arranged at a position overlapping with the base abutting portion 64 in the seat right and left direction. Moreover, the cushion abutting portion 71 is arranged at a position corresponding to the portion to which the central connecting pipe 23 is connected, of the side frame 21 shown in
Leg Guide Portion
When the seat main body moves between the housed state and the usage state, the leg guide portion 72 guides the detachable leg 30 moving together with the seat main body to avoid contact with the leg movement inhibiting portion which is a portion of the vehicle seat S. When moving the seat main body from the housed state side shown in
For example, in the middle of moving the seat main body from the usage state to the housed state, a moving operation of trying to return it to the usage state again may be performed. Conventionally, if the occupant tries to return the seat main body relatively quickly at the time of such a moving operation, the detachable leg 30 could fail to be reattached to the leg holding member 50. Specifically, in the middle of moving the seat main body from the housed state side shown in
Seat Housing Action
Next, the action of moving the seat main body from the usage state to the housed state is described with reference to
When the vehicle seat S is in the usage state shown in
When moving the vehicle seat S from the usage state to the housed state, an operating lever (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the seat back 1 is operated, for example. As shown in
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
Seat Tip-Up Action
Next, the action of moving the seat main body from the housed state to the tip-up state is described with reference to
When the vehicle seat S switches to the tip-up state shown in
Seat Return Action
Next, the action of moving the seat main body from the tip-up state to the usage state is described with reference to
As shown in
Second Embodiment of Vehicle Seat
Next, a second embodiment of a vehicle seat is described with reference to
The lock-off device 80 comprises a known device, is mounted to the seat rear end portion of the seat cushion 2, and is arranged at a position overlapping with the cushion abutting portion 71 in the seat front to back direction. Specifically, in the seat cushion 2, the lock-off device 80 is provided on the right side frame 21, and the cushion abutting portion 71 is provided on the left side frame 21. The lock-off device 80 protrudes to partly project at the rear of the seat from the seat rear end of the seat cushion 2, and includes a lock-off lever 81 for switching the cushion pivoting device 25.
The lock-off lever 81 is mounted to a position where it is capable of abutting the lever abutting portion 67 located at the seat front surface portion of the base cover 60. When moving the seat main body from the usage state to the housed state shown in
Next, the action of directly returning the seat main body from the housed state to the usage state is described with reference to
When the vehicle seat S2 reaches to a predetermined position shown in
As shown in
According to the above configuration, when directly moving the seat main body from the housed state to the usage state, the leg guide portion can guide the detachable leg 30 moving together with the seat main body not to contact the leg movement inhibiting portion 66 which is a portion of the vehicle seat S2.
Other Embodiments
In the above embodiment, the housing floor is formed in front of the vehicle seat S, but not limited thereto, the housing floor may be formed behind the vehicle seat S. In that case, the positional relationship in the seat front to back direction between the seat pivot shaft 12 and the detachable leg 30 and the positional relationship in the front to back direction between the detachable leg 30 and the leg movement restricting portion 63 are desirable to be arranged in reverse respectively.
In the above embodiment, the movement state of the seat main body is not limited to the housed state, and may be applied to the tip-up state or the like in the present embodiment.
In the above embodiment, when moving the seat main body from the housed state side to the usage state side, the leg guide portion guides the detachable leg 30 to avoid contact with the leg movement inhibiting portion 66, but not limited thereto, it can be appropriately changed. That is to say, when switching the seat main body between the usage state and the movement state that it is moved from the usage state to a predetermined position, the leg guide portion has only to guide the detachable leg 30 to avoid contact with a portion of the vehicle seat. Then, the movement state is not limited to the housed state, and may be applied to the tip-up state or the like.
In the above embodiment, the detachable leg 30 is configured to be rotated to the seat rear side around the leg pivot shaft 28a with respect to the seat cushion 2 and accommodated in the seat cushion 2 side when switched from the usage state to the housed state, but not limited thereto, the detachable leg 30 may be configured to be rotated to the seat front side around the leg pivot shaft 28a and accommodated in the seat cushion 2 side. At this time, the upper end portion of the detachable leg 30 is arranged at the rear of the seat with respect to the lower end portion of the detachable leg 30, and the detachable leg 30 is desirable to be upwardly inclined to the rear from the lower end portion thereof toward the upper end portion thereof, thereby becoming easier to be accommodated and rotated in the seat cushion 2 side.
In the above embodiment, the support base 40 is fixed to the vehicle body floor via the rail devices 4, but not limited thereto, the support base 40 may be appropriately changed to be fixed directly to the vehicle body floor without the rail devices 4, for example. Moreover, without the connecting brackets 11, the seat back 1 and the support base 40 may be directly connected via the seat pivot shaft 12. Further, without the support base 40, the seat back 1 may be connected to the seat pivot shaft 12 fixed on the vehicle body floor to be pivotable.
In the above embodiment, one abutting surface of the base abutting portion 64 and the cushion abutting portion 71 is desirable to be formed to have a lower coefficient of friction than the other abutting surface. By such a configuration, when the base cover 60 and the cushion cover 70 abut, it is possible to suppress scratches or damages to each other. Moreover, the leg movement restricting portion 63 of the base cover 60 is desirable to be formed to have a relatively low coefficient of friction similarly. By such a configuration, when the detachable leg 30 and the leg movement restricting portion 63 contact, it is possible to suppress scratches or damage to each other.
In the above embodiment, the vehicle seat capable of housing used for automobiles has been described as a particular example, but not limited thereto, the vehicle seat can be used as a seat for vehicles such as aircrafts and ships, in addition to vehicle seats for trains, busses and the like.
In the present embodiment, the vehicle seat S according to the present disclosure has been mainly described. However, the above embodiment is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and some embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and as a matter of course, the present disclosure includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the shape, arrangement, and configuration of the detachable leg 30, the support base 40, the leg holding member 50, the base cover 60, and the cushion cover 70, and the particular configuration of the leg guide portion which are described in the above embodiment are merely an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2014-049934 | Mar 2014 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2015/054825 | 2/20/2015 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2015/137092 | 9/17/2015 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170021746 A1 | Jan 2017 | US |