JP7512681B2 - Vehicle seats - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat.

In conventional vehicle seats, various electrical components are arranged, and some have a wire harness that supplies power to the electrical components on the back side of the seat, which is the side opposite the seating surface. In such vehicle seats, clamps or the like are attached to the wire harness at appropriate positions, and the wire harness is held on the back side of the seat via these clamps. This prevents the wire harness from swinging due to vehicle vibrations, etc., and components such as connectors attached to the wire harness from coming into contact with the vehicle floor, which would cause abnormal noise.

For example, in the vehicle seat disclosed in Patent Document 1, multiple wire harnesses are arranged side by side on a sheet-like member, and the wire harnesses are sewn to the sheet-like member with a thread-like member. Next, the sheet-like member with the wire harnesses sewn to it is placed on the bottom of a groove formed in a seat cushion. The sheet-like member placed on the bottom of the groove is then fixed to the seat cushion with a tag pin using a known tag gun.

JP 2019-77374 A

In the vehicle seat described in Patent Document 1, in order to secure the wire harness to the seat cushion, it is necessary to sew the wire harness to the sheet-like member, place it in the groove, and then secure the sheet-like member to the seat cushion with a tag pin. This increases the number of parts and reduces the ease of attaching the wire harness to the seat cushion. In addition, there is a risk that the wire harness may move in a direction that causes it to fall out of the groove between placing the sheet-like member with the sewn wire harness in the groove and securing it to the groove with the tag pin.

The present invention was devised in light of the above points, and the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a vehicle seat that has a simple structure and allows for easy attachment of a wire harness to the back surface of the pad body.

A first invention of the present invention is a vehicle seat comprising: a pad body which is a cushioning material; a cover which is a skin material covering the pad body; electric components arranged in contact with the inside or surface of the pad body; and a wiring member which supplies power to the electric components. A groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section which opens in the direction away from the seating surface is provided on a back surface portion of the pad body opposite the seating surface, the groove having a pair of opposing side walls and a bottom portion which connects the ends of the pair of side walls on the seating surface side. The wiring member comprises a wire harness and a plate which is a plate-like member having a width wider than the distance between the pair of side walls and which extends together with the wire harness over at least a part of the wire harness and is connected to the wire harness. The wiring member is disposed in the groove and is fixed to the pad body with the widthwise ends of the plate being clamped by the pair of side walls.

According to the first invention, the wiring member is placed in the groove of the pad body, and the widthwise end of the plate interferes with the side wall portion, elastically deforming the side wall portion, so that the wiring member is clamped by the pressing force applied from the side wall portion, and movement in the direction of falling out of the groove portion is restricted. In this way, with the simple structure of inserting and placing the wiring member in the groove portion, the wiring member is easily fixed to the pad body in a state where it is clamped by a pair of side walls. Therefore, after placing the wiring member in the groove portion, materials and work for fixing the wiring member to the pad body are not required, which suppresses increases in material costs and improves work efficiency.

The second invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, a standing wall is provided at one or both of the widthwise ends where the plate is clamped by the side wall portions, and is formed approximately perpendicular to the plate and extends in the opposite direction to the seating surface.

According to the second invention, when placing the wiring member in the groove of the pad body, the vertical wall of the plate can be abutted against the side wall and inserted, so the wiring member can be placed smoothly in the groove. This makes it easier to fix the wiring member in the groove and improves workability. In addition, the provision of the vertical wall strengthens the rigidity of the plate, so that the plate is less likely to deform when a force is applied to the plate in a direction that causes the wiring harness to fall off, making it possible to hold the wiring member in the groove more stably. In addition, because the wire harness is supported from two sides, it can be attached to the plate more firmly.

The third invention of the present invention is characterized in that in the first or second invention, the plate is approximately L-shaped when viewed from the out-of-plane direction.

According to the third invention, the substantially L-shaped plate is clamped by the side walls in two directions that are substantially perpendicular to each other. This makes it possible to resist movement of the wiring member in a direction that would cause it to fall off and suppress its falling off, regardless of whether a force is applied to the substantially L-shaped plate from the wire harness in the direction in which one side extends or in the direction in which the other side extends. This makes it possible to more reliably fix the wiring member to the pad body.

The fourth invention of the present invention is characterized in that in any one of the first to third inventions, the portion of the wiring member that does not have the plate is covered by a part of the cover.

According to the fourth invention, even in the portion of the wiring member that does not have a plate, the wiring member is covered with a cover, which is a skin material, on the pad body. This further prevents the wire harness from moving in a direction that causes it to fall out of the groove.

1 is a perspective view of an automobile seat according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of a seat cushion of the automobile seat according to the embodiment, as viewed from the back side. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part III in FIG. 2 . 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2.

Figures 1 to 6 show an automobile seat 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In each figure, arrows indicate the directions of the automobile and the automobile seat 1 when the automobile seat 1 is attached to the floor F of the automobile. In the following explanation, descriptions of directions will be made based on these directions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automobile seat 1 is a three-seater bench seat, and has a length in the left-right direction that is approximately the same as the width of the passenger compartment. The automobile seat 1 includes a seat cushion 2 that supports the buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant, and a seat back 3 that supports the back of the seated occupant. The seat cushion 2 and the seat back 3 are attached to the floor F with the lower end of the seat back 3 abutting against the rear end of the seat cushion 2, and the seat back 3 standing upright on the seat cushion 2, to form the automobile seat 1. The seat back 3 is a normal type, and is structured such that a back pad, which is a polyurethane resin foam, is covered with a back cover, which is a skin material. The upper surface of the seat cushion 2 and the front surface of the seat back 3 are the seating surfaces against which the body of the seated occupant abuts. Here, the automobile seat 1 corresponds to the "vehicle seat" in the claims.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the seat cushion 2 has a pair of left and right seat sections 2S, and a central seat section 2C disposed between the left and right seat sections 2S. The seat cushion 2 also has a cushion pad 10, which is a cushioning material, a cushion cover 20, which is a skin material that covers the surface of the cushion pad 10 facing the seated occupant, and a seating sensor 30 disposed between the cushion pad 10 and the cushion cover 20. Here, the cushion pad 10, the cushion cover 20, and the seating sensor 30 correspond to the "pad body", "cover", and "electrical component" in the claims, respectively.

2, the cushion pad 10 has a front surface (not shown) which is the surface facing the seated occupant, and a back surface 11 which is the surface opposite to the seated occupant. The cushion pad 10 is formed from a urethane foam obtained by foaming polyurethane resin, and the density thereof is set to, for example, about 0.045±0.005 g/ ^cm3 . The back surface 11 is formed into a shape corresponding to the shape of the floor F. A frame-shaped wire frame (not shown) is insert-molded on the inside of the outer peripheral edge of the cushion pad 10 on the front, rear, left and right sides to maintain rigidity.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cushion cover 20 is, for example, fabric (woven fabric, knitted fabric, nonwoven fabric) or leather (natural leather, synthetic leather), and is formed as a sheet with a thin urethane slab pad laminated to the back side. The cushion cover 20 is made up of multiple parts that are integrated by sewing the ends together to form a bag-like shape with an opening at the bottom, and is attached to the cushion pad 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, a seating sensor 30 is disposed between a pad body 10, which is a cushion pad, and a cushion cover 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the pad body 10 has a hole penetrating in the vertical direction behind the seating sensor 30. A wiring member 31 connected to the rear end of the seating sensor 30 is routed from the front surface to the back surface 11 through the hole in the pad body 10, and is disposed on the back surface 11 and connected to a power source so that power is supplied to the seating sensor 30.

2 to 5, a harness tube 33 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the wire harness 32 and substantially equal to the width of the plate 34 is attached to a part of the wire harness 32. At least a part of the part of the wire harness 32 where the harness tube 33 is attached is provided with a plate 34. The plate 34 is a plate-like member that extends together with the wire harness 32 and is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, with a width wider than the distance between the pair of side wall portions 41, 42, and is provided at one of the widthwise ends with a standing wall 35 that is formed substantially perpendicular to the plate 34 and extends in the opposite direction to the seating surface. The plate 34 is a polypropylene plate-like body. Here, the plate 34 corresponds to the "plate" in the claims.

The wire harness 32 with the harness tube 33 attached and the plate 34 are fixed with adhesive tape. The wiring member 31 includes the wire harness 32, the harness tube 33, and the plate 34. Here, the wiring member 31 corresponds to the "wiring member" in the claims.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the back surface 11 of the pad body 10 is provided with grooves 40 that are approximately U-shaped in cross section and open in the direction away from the seating surface at symmetrical positions near the rear center. The grooves 40 have a pair of opposing side walls 41, 42 and a bottom 43 that connects the ends of the pair of side walls 41, 42 on the seating surface side. Here, the grooves 40 correspond to the "groove" in the claims.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the groove 40 can accommodate the wiring member 31 and can be used as an arrangement path for the wiring member 31. The wiring member 31, which is connected to the seating sensor 30 and arranged on the back surface 11, is placed in the groove 40. The plate 34 is inserted into the groove 40 so that the widthwise ends of the plate 34 abut against the side walls 41 and 42 and the plate 34 and the bottom 43 are approximately parallel. At this time, the vertical wall 35 of the plate 34 can be inserted by abutting against the side wall 41, so that the wiring member 31 can be smoothly arranged in the groove 40. In addition, the wire harness 32 is supported from two sides by the plate 34 and the vertical wall 35.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plate 34 is substantially L-shaped in top view, and has a side extending in the left-right direction and a side extending in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the side extending in the left-right direction of the plate 34 arranged in the groove portion 40 is elastically deformed by the width direction end of the plate 34 pressing against the abutting side wall portions 41, 42. As a result, the plate 34 is clamped by receiving the pressing force in the front-rear direction applied from the side wall portions 41, 42. As shown in FIG. 5, the side extending in the front-rear direction of the plate 34 is elastically deformed by the width direction end of the plate 34 pressing against the abutting side wall portions 41, 42. As a result, the plate 34 is clamped by receiving the pressing force in the left-right direction applied from the side wall portions 41, 42. In this way, the plate 34 is restricted in movement by pressure from the left-right and front-back directions, so even if a force is applied from the wire harness 32 in the left-right direction or the front-back direction, it resists movement in a direction (downward) that would cause the wiring member 31 to fall out of the groove 40, preventing it from falling out.

As shown in FIG. 6, one of the multiple parts of the cushion cover 20 is the rear cover 21. The rear cover 21 is arranged to cover the front side and rear side of the pad body 10, and wrap around the back surface 11. A hook is provided at the end of the rear cover 21. The rear cover 21 covers the wire harness 32, which is the portion of the wiring member 31 that is arranged on the back surface 11 of the pad body 10 and does not have a plate 34, and the end of the rear cover 21 is fixed to the wire provided on the back surface 11 by the hook. This fixing can be performed by using a hook, adhesion, or hook-and-loop fastener, etc.

The embodiment configured as described above has the following effects. When the wiring member 31 is placed in the groove 40 of the pad body 10, the widthwise end of the plate 34 interferes with the side wall portions 41, 42, elastically deforming the side wall portions 41, 42, and the wiring member 31 is clamped by the pressing force applied from the side wall portions 41, 42, and the downward movement from within the groove portion 40 is restricted. In this way, the wiring member 31 is easily fixed to the pad body 10 in a state where it is clamped between the pair of side wall portions 41, 42, by the simple structure of inserting and placing the wiring member 31 in the groove portion 40. Therefore, after placing the wiring member 31 in the groove portion 40, materials and work for fixing the wiring member 31 to the pad body 10 are not required, which suppresses an increase in material costs and improves work efficiency.

In addition, when placing the wiring member 31 in the groove 40 of the pad body 10, the vertical wall 35 of the plate 34 can be inserted by abutting it against the side walls 41 and 42, so the wiring member 31 can be placed smoothly in the groove 40. This makes it easier to fix the wiring member 31 in the groove 40, improving workability. In addition, the vertical wall 35 strengthens the rigidity of the plate 34, so that the plate 34 is less likely to deform when a downward force is applied to it from the wire harness 32, and the wiring member 31 can be more stably held in the groove 40. In addition, since the wire harness 32 is supported from two sides, it can be attached to the plate 34 more firmly.

The substantially L-shaped plate 34 is clamped by the side walls 41, 42 in two directions that are substantially perpendicular to each other. This makes it possible to resist movement of the wiring member 31 in a direction that would cause it to fall off, and to suppress it from falling off, regardless of whether a force is applied to the substantially L-shaped plate 34 from the wire harness 32 in the direction in which one side extends or in the direction in which the other side extends. This makes it possible to more reliably fix the wiring member 31 to the pad body 10.

Furthermore, even in the portion of the wiring member 31 that does not have the plate 34, the wiring member 31 is covered with the cushion cover 20, which is a skin material, with respect to the pad body 10. This further prevents the wire harness 32 from moving in a direction that would cause it to fall out of the groove portion 40.

Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these configurations, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following can be mentioned:

1. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the seat cushion 2 of the automobile seat 1, but the present invention can also be applied to the seat back 3. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to vehicle seats installed in airplanes, ships, trains, etc.

2. In the above embodiment, the electrical component is the seating sensor 30, but it is not limited to this and may be a sensor such as a seat heater, or a blower that performs air conditioning functions. The type of electrical component is not important as long as it has a wiring member for power supply and its connector is located on the surface opposite the seating surface.

3. In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the wiring member 31 was equipped with a polypropylene plate 34, but this is not limiting, and the material of the plate 34 can be of any type as long as it can be clamped between the side walls 41, 42 of the pad body 10.

4. In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the wire harness 32 and the plate 34 were fixed with adhesive tape, but this is not limited to this, and any type of tape can be used as long as the wire harness 32 can be fixed to the plate 34.

5. In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the harness tube 33 is attached to the wire harness 32, but this is not limited thereto, and other components may be attached to the wire harness 32, or no components may be attached to the wire harness 32.

1. Automobile seats (vehicle seats)
2 Seat cushion 3 Seat back 10 Cushion pad (pad body)
11 Back surface portion 20 Cushion cover (cover)
21 Rear cover 30 Seat sensor (electrical component)
Reference Signs List 31: Wiring member 32: Wire harness 33: Harness tube 34: Plate 35: Standing wall 40: Groove portions 41, 42: Side wall portion 43: Bottom portion F: Floor

Claims (3)

A vehicle seat, comprising:
The device has a pad body which is a cushioning material, a cover which is a skin material covering the pad body, electric components disposed inside or on a surface of the pad body in contact with the pad body, and wiring members which supply power to the electric components,
A groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section and opening in a direction away from the seating surface is provided on a back surface of the pad body opposite the seating surface,
The groove portion has a pair of opposing side wall portions and a bottom portion connecting end portions of the pair of side wall portions on the seating surface side,
the wiring member includes a wire harness and a plate that is a plate-like member having a width wider than the distance between the pair of side wall portions, the plate extending together with the wire harness and connected to at least a portion of the wire harness,
a vertical wall is provided at only one of the widthwise ends of the plate that is sandwiched between the pair of side wall portions, the vertical wall being formed substantially perpendicular to the plate and extending in a direction opposite to the seating surface;
The wiring member is disposed within the groove portion, and is fixed to the pad body with the widthwise ends of the plate clamped between the pair of side walls. 2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the plate is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the out-of-plane direction. 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the wiring member not provided with the plate is covered by a part of the cover.

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