JP2024112033A - Vehicle seats - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a seat for vehicle that can reduce the dimension in the vertical direction while having a lifting device.SOLUTION: A seat for vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a cushion frame and a lifting device. The lifting device includes a pinion gear held in a lower arm, a sector gear engaged with the pinion gear, a motor that rotates the pinion gear and a link that rotates with the sector gear. The pinion gear, the sector gear and the motor are arranged on the outer side in the width direction of the lower arm. The lower arm includes an arm body extending in the front-rear direction, an upper flange extending to the inner side in the width direction from the upper end of the arm body, and a lower flange extending to the inner side in the width direction from the lower end of the arm body. The lower flange includes a reinforcement part that protrudes to the inner side in the width direction with respect to the upper flange.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

This disclosure relates to vehicle seats.

Seats installed in automobiles and the like are provided with a lifting device, such as a lifter device, that moves the cushion frame up and down. The lifting device has a pinion gear that is rotated by a power source, a sector gear that meshes with the pinion gear, and a link that rotates together with the sector gear (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2019-73184 A Registered Utility Model No. 2575847

In the lifter device, the lower arm of the cushion frame, the sector gear, and the link are arranged so that the sector gear is aligned in the width direction of the seat. Therefore, due to the constraints of the seat's width dimension and the need to ensure strength, the lower arm needs to have a certain length in the vertical direction. As a result, the seat's vertical dimension is inevitably large.

One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a vehicle seat that is equipped with a lifting device while reducing the vertical dimension.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle seat (1) including a seat cushion (2), a cushion frame (4) that supports the seat cushion (2), and a lifting device (5) configured to raise and lower at least a portion of the seat cushion (2). The cushion frame (4) has a first lower arm (41) and a second lower arm (42) that are spaced apart from each other in the seat width direction.

The lifting device (5) has a pinion gear (511) held by the first lower arm (41), a sector gear (512) meshed with the pinion gear (511), a motor (513) that rotates the pinion gear (511), and a link (52) that rotates together with the sector gear (512) relative to the first lower arm (41). The pinion gear (511), sector gear (512), and motor (513) are disposed on the outer side of the first lower arm (41) in the seat width direction.

The first lower arm (41) has an arm body (411) extending in the seat front-rear direction, an upper flange (412) extending from the upper end of the arm body (411) toward the inside in the seat width direction, and a lower flange (413) extending from the lower end of the arm body (411) toward the inside in the seat width direction. The lower flange (413) has a reinforcing portion (413A) that protrudes further inward in the seat width direction than the upper flange (412).

With this configuration, the sector gear (512) is positioned on the outer side of the first lower arm (41) in the seat width direction, so that the upper flange (412) and the lower flange (413) of the first lower arm (41) can be provided with the length necessary to ensure strength. In addition, by extending the lower flange (413) further inward in the seat width direction than the upper flange (412), the strength of the first lower arm (41) can be increased while ensuring the distance between the upper flange (412) and the seat occupant. This makes it possible to reduce the vertical length of the first lower arm (41). As a result, the vertical dimension of the vehicle seat (1) can be reduced.

One aspect of the present disclosure may include an upper rail (61) disposed below the first lower arm (41) and a lower rail (62) that slidably supports the upper rail (61). The lifting device (5) may have a connecting bracket (56) that connects the upper rail (61) and the link (52). The connecting bracket (56) may have a connecting portion (562) to which the link (52) is rotatably connected at a position overlapping the upper rail (61) in the seat width direction. With this configuration, the first lower arm (41) and the upper rail (61) can be disposed close to each other in the vertical direction. This promotes the effect of reducing the vertical dimension of the vehicle seat (1).

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the link (52) may be disposed on the inner side of the first lower arm (41) in the seat width direction. The connecting portion (562) may be located on the inner side of the upper rail (61) in the seat width direction. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the vertical dimension of the vehicle seat (1) while suppressing the width dimension.

Note that the symbols in parentheses above are examples showing the corresponding relationship with the specific configurations etc. described in the embodiments described below, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations etc. shown by the symbols in parentheses above.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a cushion frame and a lifting device in the vehicle seat of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a cushion frame and a lifting device in the vehicle seat of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a cushion frame and a lifting device in the vehicle seat of FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective view of the vehicle seat of FIG. 1 with a motor and a motor mounting bracket removed from the cushion frame and the lifting device, and FIG. 5B is a schematic perspective view of the vehicle seat of FIG. 1 with a motor removed from the cushion frame and the lifting device. FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of the cushion frame and the lifting device in the vehicle seat of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. First embodiment]
[1-1. Configuration]
A vehicle seat 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a seat cushion 2, a seat back 3, a cushion frame 4, a lifting device 5, a first sliding device 6A, and a second sliding device 6B.

The vehicle seat 1 of this embodiment is used as a seat for a passenger vehicle. Note that the directions in the following explanation and in each drawing refer to the directions when the vehicle seat 1 is assembled to the vehicle (i.e., the passenger vehicle). In this embodiment, the seat width direction coincides with the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the front of the seat coincides with the front of the vehicle.

The seat cushion 2 is a part for supporting the buttocks etc. of a seated person. The seat back 3 is a part for supporting the back of a seated person. The cushion frame 4 supports the seat cushion 2.

<Cushion frame>
The cushion frame 4 has a first lower arm 41 , a second lower arm 42 , and a front panel 43 .

The first lower arm 41 and the second lower arm 42 are plate-shaped members that extend in the front-rear direction of the seat and are spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the seat. The first lower arm 41 is disposed to the right of the second lower arm 42. The front panel 43 is disposed so as to straddle the front end of the first lower arm 41 and the front end of the second lower arm 42.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first lower arm 41 has an arm body 411, an upper flange 412, and a lower flange 413. The arm body 411 is a strip-shaped portion that extends in the seat front-rear direction and has a plate surface that faces the second lower arm 42. The thickness direction of the arm body 411 is parallel to the seat width direction.

The upper flange 412 extends from the upper end of the arm body 411 toward the inside in the seat width direction. The lower flange 413 extends from the lower end of the arm body 411 toward the inside in the seat width direction. The lower flange 413 faces the upper flange 412 in the up-down direction.

The lower flange 413 also has a reinforcing portion 413A that protrudes further inward in the sheet width direction than the upper flange 412. The width of the reinforcing portion 413A is greater than the width of the portion of the upper flange 412 that overlaps the reinforcing portion 413A from above.

<Slide device>
3 slide the cushion frame 4 in the front-rear direction of the seat. The first sliding device 6A and the second sliding device 6B also serve as support members disposed below the cushion frame 4.

The first slide device 6A is disposed below the first lower arm 41 and has an upper rail 61 connected to the first lower arm 41 and a lower rail 62 that supports the upper rail 61 so that it can slide.

The second sliding device 6B is disposed below the second lower arm 42 and has an upper rail 61 connected to the second lower arm 42 and a lower rail 62 that slidably supports the upper rail 61. The first sliding device 6A and the second sliding device 6B are disposed apart from each other in the seat width direction.

<Lifting device>
The lifting device 5 is configured to lift and lower the entire seat cushion 2 by moving the cushion frame 4 up and down.

The lifting device 5 displaces the cushion frame 4 between the lowest position and the highest position. The lifting device 5 has a drive unit 51, a first link 52, a second link 53, a third link 54, a fourth link 55, a connecting bracket 56, a first connecting rod 57, and a second connecting rod 58.

(Connecting rod)
The first connecting rod 57 and the second connecting rod 58 are rotatably connected to the first lower arm 41 and the second lower arm 42, respectively.

The first connecting rod 57 is disposed behind the second connecting rod 58. The first connecting rod 57 and the second connecting rod 58 are each a circular tube disposed so that their central axes are parallel to the seat width direction.

(Drive unit)
The drive unit 51 drives the first link 52. As shown in Fig. 4, the drive unit 51 has a pinion gear 511, a sector gear 512, a motor 513, and a motor mounting bracket 514.

(Pinion gear)
As shown in FIG. 5A , the pinion gear 511 is connected to a motor 513 and is held by the first lower arm 41 .

Specifically, the pinion gear 511 is connected to a drive shaft 513A of a motor 513, and rotates relative to the first lower arm 41 by the power of the motor 513. The rotation axis of the pinion gear 511 is parallel to the seat width direction.

The pinion gear 511 is disposed on the outer side (i.e., on the right side) of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction. The pinion gear 511 does not move relative to the first lower arm 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the pinion gear 511 overlaps with the reinforcing portion 413A of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

(Sector gear)
5A, the sector gear 512 is a plate-shaped gear that meshes with the pinion gear 511. The rotation axis of the sector gear 512 is parallel to the rotation axis of the pinion gear 511. The sector gear 512 is disposed behind the pinion gear 511 behind the seat.

The sector gear 512 rotates (i.e. oscillates) up and down due to the rotation of the pinion gear 511 (i.e. the power transmitted from the pinion gear 511). A certain amount of backlash is provided between the pinion gear 511 and the sector gear 512.

The sector gear 512 is disposed on the outer side of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction. The sector gear 512 is fixed to the first connecting rod 57. The sector gear 512 rotates together with the first connecting rod 57, with the central axis of the first connecting rod 57 serving as the axis of rotation.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sector gear 512 overlaps with the reinforcing portion 413A of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction when viewed from the top-bottom direction. In addition, the multiple teeth of the sector gear 512 are located forward of the seat than the first connecting rod 57.

(Motor)
The motor 513 is a power source that rotates the pinion gear 511. The motor 513 is disposed on the outer side of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction.

The motor 513 is attached to the first lower arm 41 via a motor mounting bracket 514. The motor 513 is positioned outside the pinion gear 511 and the sector gear 512 in the seat width direction.

The motor 513 has a drive shaft 513A shown in Figures 5A and 5B. The drive shaft 513A rotates to rotate the pinion gear 511. The rotation axis of the drive shaft 513A is parallel to the sheet width direction.

(Motor mounting bracket)
The motor mounting bracket 514 is a plate-shaped member fixed by, for example, a bolt from the outer side in the seat width direction to the first lower arm 41. The motor 513 is fixed from the outer side in the seat width direction to the motor mounting bracket 514. The motor mounting bracket 514 has an opening through which the drive shaft 513A is inserted.

(First link)
2 is a plate-shaped member rotatably connected to the first lower arm 41 via a first connecting rod 57. Specifically, the seat rear end of the first link 52 is fixed to the first connecting rod 57 on the inner side of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction. In other words, the first link 52 is disposed on the inner side of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction.

The first link 52 is also rotatably connected to the upper rail 61 of the first slide device 6A via a connecting bracket 56. Specifically, the end of the first link 52 in front of the seat is rotatably connected to the connecting bracket 56.

The first link 52 is connected to the sector gear 512 via the first connecting rod 57. Therefore, the first link 52 rotates together with the sector gear 512 relative to the first lower arm 41. Specifically, the first link 52 swings up and down relative to the first lower arm 41 and the upper rail 61.

When the pinion gear 511 rotates so that the sector gear 512 swings downward, the first link 52 swings upward. This causes the cushion frame 4 to rise. On the other hand, when the pinion gear 511 rotates so that the sector gear 512 swings upward, the first link 52 swings downward. This causes the cushion frame 4 to descend.

(Second link, third link and fourth link)
3 connects the first lower arm 41 and the upper rail 61 of the first slide device 6A at a position forward of the seat from the first link 52. The second link 53 cooperates with the first link 52 to move the first lower arm 41 up and down.

The third link 54 and the fourth link 55 each connect the second lower arm 42 and the upper rail 61 of the second slide device 6B. The third link 54 is connected to the first link 52 by a first connecting rod 57. The third link 54 operates in synchronization with the first link 52. The fourth link 55 is connected to the second link 53 by a second connecting rod 58. The fourth link 55 operates in synchronization with the second link 53.

(Connecting bracket)
6, the connecting bracket 56 is a plate-shaped member that connects the upper rail 61 of the first sliding device 6A and the first link 52. The connecting bracket 56 has a bracket main body 561 and a connecting portion 562.

The bracket body 561 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper rail 61 by, for example, a bolt. The bracket body 561 overlaps with the first lower arm 41 in the up-down direction. The bracket body 561 is also located on the inner side in the seat width direction than the sector gear 512 and on the outer side in the seat width direction than the first link 52.

The connecting portion 562 is a portion that extends downward from the end of the bracket body 561 on the inner side in the seat width direction. The first link 52 is rotatably connected to the connecting portion 562 by a connecting shaft 59.

The connecting portion 562 is located on the inner side of the upper rail 61 in the seat width direction and overlaps with the upper rail 61 in the seat width direction. Therefore, the first link 52 is rotatably connected to the connecting bracket 56 at a position where it overlaps with the upper rail 61 in the seat width direction. Specifically, at least a portion of the connecting shaft 59 overlaps with the upper rail 61 in the seat width direction.

[1-2. Effects]
According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following effects can be obtained.
(1a) Since the sector gear 512 is disposed on the outer side of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction, the upper flange 412 and the lower flange 413 of the first lower arm 41 can be provided with the length necessary to ensure strength.

In addition, by extending the lower flange 413 further inward in the seat width direction than the upper flange 412, the strength of the first lower arm 41 can be increased while ensuring the distance between the upper flange 412 and the seat occupant. This makes it possible to reduce the vertical length of the first lower arm 41. As a result, the vertical dimension of the vehicle seat 1 can be reduced.

(1b) The first link 52 is rotatably connected to the connecting bracket 56 at a position where it overlaps with the upper rail 61 in the seat width direction, so that the first lower arm 41 and the upper rail 61 can be positioned close to each other in the up-down direction. This promotes the effect of reducing the vertical dimension of the vehicle seat 1.

(1c) The first link 52 is positioned on the inside of the first lower arm 41 in the seat width direction, and the connecting portion 562 is positioned on the inside of the upper rail 61 in the seat width direction, so that the vertical dimension of the vehicle seat 1 can be reduced while suppressing the width dimension.

2. Other embodiments
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can take various forms.

(2a) In the vehicle seat of the above embodiment, the first link may be rotatably connected to the connecting bracket above the upper rail.
(2b) In the vehicle seat of the above embodiment, the first link may be disposed on the outer side of the first lower arm in the seat width direction.

(2c) In the vehicle seat of the above embodiment, the drive unit does not necessarily have to have a motor mounting bracket. For example, the motor may be attached directly to the first lower arm.

(2d) The lifting device in the vehicle seat of the above embodiment can also be applied to a tilt device that rocks a part of the seat cushion (e.g., the front end) in the up and down direction. In other words, the present disclosure can also be applied to a vehicle seat equipped with a tilt device.

(2e) The vehicle seat of the above embodiment can also be applied to seats used in automobiles other than passenger cars, and to seats used in vehicles other than automobiles, such as railroad cars, ships, and aircraft.

(2f) The function of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed among multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. In addition, part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. In addition, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments. All aspects included in the technical idea identified from the wording of the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

1...vehicle seat, 2...seat cushion, 3...seat back,
4... cushion frame, 5... lifting device, 6A, 6B... slide device,
41...first lower arm, 42...second lower arm, 43...front panel,
51: Drive section, 52: First link, 53: Second link, 54: Third link,
55...fourth link, 56...connecting bracket, 57...first connecting rod,
58: second connecting rod; 59: connecting shaft; 61: upper rail; 62: lower rail;
411: arm body; 412: upper flange; 413: lower flange; 413A: reinforcing portion;
511: pinion gear, 512: sector gear, 513: motor, 513A: drive shaft,
514...motor mounting bracket, 561...bracket body, 562...connecting portion.

Claims (3)

Seat cushion and
A cushion frame supporting the seat cushion;
a lifting device configured to lift and lower at least a portion of the seat cushion;
Equipped with
The cushion frame has a first lower arm and a second lower arm arranged apart from each other in a seat width direction,
The lifting device is
a pinion gear held by the first lower arm;
a sector gear meshed with the pinion gear;
A motor that rotates the pinion gear;
a link that rotates together with the sector gear relative to the first lower arm;
having
the pinion gear, the sector gear, and the motor are disposed on an outer side of the first lower arm in a seat width direction,
The first lower arm includes:
An arm body extending in the front-rear direction of the seat;
An upper flange extending from an upper end of the arm body toward the inside in the seat width direction;
A lower flange extending from a lower end of the arm body toward the inside in the seat width direction;
having
The vehicle seat, wherein the lower flange has a reinforcing portion that protrudes inward in a seat width direction beyond the upper flange. 2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,
an upper rail disposed below the first lower arm;
a lower rail that slidably supports the upper rail;
Equipped with
The lifting device has a connecting bracket that connects the upper rail and the link,
The connecting bracket has a connecting portion to which the link is rotatably connected at a position overlapping with the upper rail in a seat width direction. 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2,
The link is disposed on an inner side of the first lower arm in a seat width direction,
The connecting portion is located more inward in a seat width direction than the upper rail.