JP7644383B2 - Vehicle seat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and in particular to a vehicle seat that is equipped with a blower device and is capable of blowing air to an occupant.

Conventionally, there are vehicle seats that can blow air to a passenger seated in the seat from an air blower installed inside the seat. In such vehicle seats, the air generated by the air blower passes through a duct, through air passages and vents formed in a pad inside the seat, and reaches the body of the passenger. For this reason, such vehicle seats usually have through holes drilled in the upholstery, which is a component of the seat. Patent Document 1 discloses that in a vehicle seat with an air conditioning function, a large number of holes are formed in the upholstery to increase breathability.

JP 2016-132350 A

In Patent Document 1, a backing material with different air permeability is used in the air-conditioned area and the non-air-conditioned area in order to make the air permeability different depending on the area of the seating surface of the vehicle seat. However, since the manufacturing of the backing material is very difficult, it was desired to ensure the amount of air permeation from the air blower in a simpler way.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a vehicle seat that can ensure the amount of airflow from the air blower in a simpler manner.

The above problem is solved by a vehicle seat comprising: a pad having an air vent formed therein that communicates with a blower; and a skin that covers the pad and has a plurality of through holes formed therein that are arranged so as to overlap at least partially with the air vent of the pad, wherein at least one of the plurality of through holes is arranged in an area that does not overlap with the air vent, and the plurality of through holes that are arranged so as to overlap at least partially with the air vent of the pad are formed such that, in a cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of through holes cut in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the skin, the width of the through hole increases from the rear side to the front side of the skin, and the number of the through holes per fixed area in the area where the skin and the air vent overlap is equal to or greater than the number of the through holes per fixed area in the area where the skin and the air vent do not overlap .
The above problem is also solved by a vehicle seat comprising: a pad having an air vent formed therein that communicates with a blower; and a skin that is provided to cover the pad and has a plurality of through holes formed therein that are arranged so as to overlap at least partially with the air vent of the pad, at least one of the plurality of through holes being arranged in an area that does not overlap with the air vent, the plurality of through holes that are arranged so as to overlap at least partially with the air vent of the pad are formed such that, in a cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of through holes cut in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the skin, the width of the through hole increases from the rear side to the front side of the skin, and the number of the through holes per certain area in the area where the skin and the air vent overlap is such that the size of the through hole formed in the area where the skin overlaps with the air vent is larger than the size of the through hole formed in the area where the skin does not overlap with the through hole.
This configuration makes it possible to ensure the amount of airflow from the blower device in a simpler manner.
In addition, with this configuration, for example, the opening on the rear side of the through hole is made smaller, making the pad less noticeable.

In addition, by making the number of through holes per fixed area in the region where the skin and the ventilation holes overlap greater than or equal to the number of through holes per fixed area in the region where the skin and the ventilation holes do not overlap, it is possible to increase the ventilation volume with a simpler configuration.
In addition, by enlarging the through holes used for ventilation, the amount of ventilation from the blower device can be ensured.

In this case, a size of the through hole formed in a region where the skin overlaps the air hole may be equal to a size of the through hole formed in a region where the skin does not overlap the through hole.
By increasing the density while keeping the size of the through holes constant, the amount of ventilation is ensured. Since the size of the through holes is constant, for example, a common jig can be used to form the through holes.

The size of the through-hole formed in the area where the skin overlaps the ventilation hole may be larger than the size of the through-hole formed in the area where the skin does not overlap the through-hole. By making the through-hole used for ventilation larger, the amount of ventilation from the blower device can be ensured.

A part of the plurality of through holes is gathered together to form a hole assembly, and the hole assembly may form a specific shape, and the area surrounded by the specific shape may be arranged on the skin so that the area surrounded by the specific shape overlaps with the air hole. With this configuration, for example, the appearance of the sheet is improved by a pattern consisting of a specific shape, and the opening rate can be adjusted by the air hole included in the specific shape area, so that the amount of airflow from the blower can be ensured with a simpler configuration.

The specific shape may be disposed on the skin so that the central portion of the specific shape overlaps with the central portion of the ventilation hole. By overlapping the central portion of the specific shape with the central portion of the ventilation hole, it is possible to include more through holes that communicate with the ventilation hole, and to ensure the amount of ventilation from the blower.

The vehicle seat may include a frame that supports the pad and a duct that connects the air outlet or intake of the air blower to the air vent, and the air blower may be fixed to the frame. By fixing the air blower to the frame, the air blower moves in conjunction with the position of the vehicle seat. Therefore, even if the position of the vehicle seat is changed, for example, there is no need to deform the duct for blowing air, and air can be blown stably.

According to the present invention, a plurality of through holes are arranged in the skin so that a first opening ratio in a region where the skin overlaps the ventilation hole is equal to or greater than a second opening ratio in a region where the skin does not overlap the ventilation hole.
It is possible to ensure the amount of airflow from the blower with a simple configuration.
In addition, by making the number of through holes per fixed area in the region where the skin and the ventilation holes overlap greater than or equal to the number of through holes per fixed area in the region where the skin and the ventilation holes do not overlap, the ventilation volume can be increased with a simpler configuration.
Furthermore, by making the through holes of equal size, it is possible to use a common jig for forming the through holes.
Furthermore, by forming the through holes only in the area where the skin and the ventilation holes overlap, manufacturing costs can be reduced.
In addition, by enlarging the through holes used for ventilation, the amount of ventilation from the air blower can be secured. By arranging the specific shape of multiple through holes so that they overlap with the ventilation openings, the appearance of the sheet is improved by the pattern of the specific shapes, and the opening rate can be adjusted by the ventilation holes included in the specific shapes, so that the amount of ventilation from the air blower can be secured with a simple configuration.
Furthermore, by overlapping the central portion of the specific shape with the central portion of the ventilation hole, it is possible to include more through holes communicating with the ventilation hole, and it is possible to ensure a sufficient amount of airflow from the blower.
Furthermore, by forming the through holes to have the same width, air can be blown without reducing the amount of ventilation.
Furthermore, by making the width of the through hole wider toward the front surface side, the opening on the rear surface side of the through hole becomes smaller, making the pad less noticeable.
Furthermore, since the air blowing device is fixed to the frame of the vehicle seat, air can be blown stably without the need to deform the duct for blowing air even if the position of the vehicle seat is changed.

1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a cover is removed from the vehicle seat, and is an exploded perspective view showing the appearance of a pad and a frame. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pad showing the vents and air passages. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional shape of a through hole formed in the skin. 4 is a schematic enlarged view showing the positional relationship between through holes formed in the skin and ventilation holes formed in the pad. FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged view showing the positional relationship between through holes formed in the skin and ventilation holes formed in the pad. FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged view showing the positional relationship between through holes formed in the skin and ventilation holes formed in the pad. FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged view showing the positional relationship between through holes formed in the skin and ventilation holes formed in the pad. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing another cross-sectional shape of a through hole formed in the skin. FIG.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This embodiment relates to a vehicle seat comprising a pad having an air vent formed therein and a skin having a plurality of through holes formed therein, the through holes being arranged so as to overlap at least a part of the air vent of the pad, the first opening ratio being a ratio of an opening area of the plurality of through holes per a certain area in a region where the skin overlaps with the air vent and a second opening ratio being a ratio of an opening area of the plurality of through holes per a certain area in a region where the skin does not overlap with the air vent, the first opening ratio being a ratio of an opening area of the plurality of through holes per a certain area in a region where the skin does not overlap with the air vent, the second opening ratio being a ratio of an opening area of the plurality of through holes per a certain area in a region where the skin does not overlap with the air vent. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the side of the vehicle seat S where an occupant sits is the front side of the seat, and the opposite side is the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat S of this embodiment includes a seat body including a seat back 1, a seat cushion 2 disposed on the front side of the seat back 1, and a headrest 3 disposed on the upper side of the seat back 1. The seat back 1 is a backrest portion that supports the back of the occupant from behind, and as shown in FIG. 2, a back pad 1b is placed on a back frame 1a that serves as a skeleton, and is covered with a skin 10. The seat cushion 2 is a seating portion that supports the occupant from below, and a cushion pad 2b is placed on a cushion frame 2a that serves as a skeleton, and is covered with a skin 20. The headrest 3 is a head portion that supports the occupant's head from behind, and a cushion pad (not shown) is placed on a pillar (not shown) that serves as a core material, and is covered with a skin.

The blower device 4 is a known blower device for air conditioning and ventilation, and is supported on the cushion frame 2a below the cushion pad 2b as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the air sent from the blower device 4 passes through a duct 6, a plurality of air vents 5 provided in the back pad 1b and the cushion pad 2b, an air passage 7, and a plurality of through holes 11 provided in each of the skins 10 and 20, and is discharged to the seated occupant (see the arrows in Fig. 3).

The blower device 4 is an exhaust type blower device, and is configured so that the air blown from the blower device 4 hits the occupant as shown in FIG. 3, but the blower device 4 may be an intake type blower device. If it is an intake type, for example, the air near the seating surface becomes wind and is drawn into the blower device 4.

The back pad 1b and the cushion pad 2b are pad members made of urethane foam or the like, and as shown in FIG. 2, the back pad 1b and the cushion pad 2b have skin hanging grooves 1c and 2c formed on the surfaces facing the seated occupant. The skin hanging groove 1c is a groove with a substantially U-shaped cross section for hanging the end of the skin 10, and is arranged so as to surround the substantially central portion of the seat back 1. The skin hanging groove 2c is a groove with a substantially U-shaped vertical cross section for hanging the end of the skin 20, and is arranged so as to surround the substantially central portion of the seat cushion 2.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the back pad 1b and the cushion pad 2b have a plurality of ventilation holes 5 formed in a predetermined arrangement pattern, which extend in the thickness direction of the back pad 1b and the cushion pad 2b. The ventilation holes 5 are connected by air passages 7 and communicate with the blower 4 via the duct 6. As described above, the air blown from the blower 4 is exhausted from the ventilation holes 5 via the duct 6 and the air passage 7. Note that since the back pad 1b and the cushion pad 2b are formed from a pad material such as urethane foam, it is possible for air to pass through the entire pad other than the ventilation holes 5.

The skin 10 is made of a stretchable synthetic leather material, and is formed into a shape that can cover the back pad 1b of the seat back 1 from above, as shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, the skin 10 is made up of multiple pieces, which are sewn together and connected at positions corresponding to the skin hanging grooves 1c. The skin 20 of the seat cushion 2 has the same configuration as the skin 10, and the multiple skins 20 are sewn together and connected at positions corresponding to the skin hanging grooves 2c.

As shown in FIG. 4, the skin 10 has a laminated structure, specifically consisting mainly of a three-layer structure consisting of a top layer 10a, a foam layer 10b, and a base fabric layer 10c, in that order from the top surface. The top layer 10a is made of synthetic leather made of non-foamed polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the foam layer 10b is made of foamed polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The base fabric layer 10c is made of a cloth material made by knitting a fiber material. A urethane surface treatment layer (not shown) is formed on the surface of the top layer 10a by urethane coating to ensure abrasion resistance and protection.

The top layer 10a and the foam layer 10b are heat-welded to each other, while the foam layer 10b and the base fabric layer 10c are bonded with an adhesive, and a coating film of the adhesive is formed at the interface between the foam layer 10b and the base fabric layer 10c. In addition, a wadding material (not shown) made of a stretchy and breathable urethane foam material is attached to the back surface of the base fabric layer 10c to improve seating comfort.

The skin 10 has a plurality of through holes 11 formed therein, as shown in FIG. 4. The through holes 11 are holes that penetrate from the surface 12 to the back surface 13 of the skin 10 in a direction perpendicular to the surface 12 (hereinafter, referred to as the thickness direction T) as shown in FIG. 4. When viewed from the seating side (from the surface 12 side), each of the through holes 11 has a substantially circular shape, and is formed by punching using a known punching roll device or perforation device. The shape of each of the through holes 11 is not particularly limited, and may be an ellipse or other geometric shape, and may be changed as appropriate to match the design of the vehicle seat S.

The multiple through holes 11 formed in the skin 10 are arranged so that at least some of the multiple through holes 11 overlap the ventilation holes 5 of the back pad 1b, as shown in the enlarged view of part D in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5A. The opening rate per fixed area, which is the ratio of the opening area of the through holes 11 in the region 8 where the skin 10 overlaps the ventilation holes 5, is defined as a first opening rate A, and the opening rate per fixed area, which is the ratio of the opening area of the through holes 11 in the region 9 where the skin 10 does not overlap the ventilation holes 5, is defined as a second opening rate B. The multiple through holes 11 in this embodiment are arranged so that the value of the first opening rate A is equal to or greater than the value of the second opening rate B. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the multiple through holes 11 are arranged in the skin 10 so that the value of the first opening rate A relative to the ventilation holes 5 of the back pad 1b is maximized.

In the epidermis 10 shown in FIG. 5A, several through holes 11 are gathered together to form a plurality of hole clusters 30, which are arranged at a predetermined interval. The hole clusters 30 form a specific shape 31. The area surrounded by the specific shape 31 is arranged on the epidermis 10 so that the area surrounded by the specific shape 31 overlaps the ventilation hole 5.

The specific shape 31 shown in FIG. 5A is rectangular. The specific shape 31 may be modified as appropriate, for example, to a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or other geometric shape. It may also be an area with a predetermined width. When the through holes 11 are arranged in the skin 10, the central portion 5a of the ventilation hole 5 and the central portion 31a of the specific shape 31 may overlap. By arranging the through holes 11 in this manner, the amount of air from the blower 4 is more easily ensured compared to a case in which the arrangement of the through holes 11 is not taken into consideration with respect to the ventilation hole 5. In addition, there is no need to use a backing material with a different air permeability for the skin.

Figures 5B to 5D show another example of the arrangement of the through holes 11. In the skin 110 shown in Figure 5B, through holes 11a, 11b, and 11c of different sizes are arranged to form a hole assembly 130. Specifically, the hole assembly 130 of the through holes 11 formed in the skin 10 is composed of a hole assembly 130a in which through holes 11a having a large diameter are arranged at equal intervals, a hole assembly 130b in which through holes 11b of medium size are arranged at equal intervals, and a hole assembly 130c in which the smallest through holes 11c are arranged at equal intervals. In this case, the air vent 5 of the back pad 1b is arranged so that the air vent 5 and the hole assembly 130a overlap, since the opening ratio value of the hole assembly 130a in which the through holes 11a having a large diameter are arranged is the highest.

In the skin 210 shown in FIG. 5C, the diameters of the through holes 11 formed are the same, but the spacing at which the through holes 11 are arranged varies in some areas. Specifically, the skin 210 has a hole assembly 230a arranged at a predetermined spacing E1, and a hole assembly 230b arranged at a spacing E2 wider than the spacing E1. In this case, the multiple through holes 11 are arranged in the skin 10 so that the hole assembly 230a, which is the range where the spacing between the through holes 11 is smallest, i.e., the range where the density is high, overlaps with the ventilation hole 5. With this configuration, the opening ratio of the overlapping portion with the ventilation hole 5 becomes the highest.

Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 5D, the through-hole 11 may be formed only in the portion of the skin 310 that overlaps the ventilation hole 5.

The cross-sectional shape of each of the through holes 11 shown in FIG. 4 in a direction perpendicular to the surface 12 of the skin 10 (thickness direction T) is formed in a so-called straight type so that the width (diameter) W0 of the through hole 11 is the same throughout the thickness direction T. This is one example, and the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 11 cut in the thickness direction T may be formed so that the width (diameter) of the through hole 511 increases from the back surface 513 side of the skin 510 toward the front surface 512 side, as shown in FIG. 6. That is, the width W1 of the opening on the front surface 512 is larger than the width W2 of the opening on the back surface 513. By reducing the opening area on the back surface 513 side, the pads at the back of the through hole 11 become less noticeable when viewed from the front surface side compared to the case where the through hole 11 is formed straight as shown in FIG. 4.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the air blower 4 is attached to the cushion frame 2a of the seat cushion 2, but this is not particularly limited, and the air blower 4 may be attached to the back frame 1a of the seat back 1 or to the rear part of the headrest 3. The air blower 4 may be attached to both the seat back 1 and the seat cushion 2.

In the above embodiment, a vehicle seat used in an automobile is described as a specific example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be used as a seat for trains, buses, etc., as well as for airplanes, ships, etc.

In this embodiment, the vehicle seat according to the present invention has been mainly described. However, the above embodiment is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the invention, and of course, the present invention includes equivalents. In particular, the shape, arrangement, and configuration of the through holes described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention.

S Vehicle seat 1 Seat back 1a Back frame 1b Back pad 1c Skin hanging groove 2 Seat cushion 2a Cushion frame 2b Cushion pad 2c Skin hanging groove 3 Headrest 4 Blower device 5 Ventilation hole 5a Central portion 6 Duct 7 Air passage 8, 9 Region 10, 20, 110, 210, 310, 510 Skin 10a Top layer 10b Foam layer 10c Base fabric layer 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 511 Through hole 12, 512 Surface 13, 513 Back surface 30, 130, 130a, 130b, 130c, 230a, 230b Hole assembly 31 Specific shape 31a Central portion A First opening ratio B Second opening ratio

Claims (7)

A pad having an air hole communicating with a blower;
a cover provided to cover the pad and having a plurality of through holes formed therein, the through holes being arranged to at least partially overlap the ventilation holes of the pad;
At least one of the plurality of through holes is disposed in an area not overlapping with the ventilation hole,
The plurality of through holes arranged to overlap at least a portion of the ventilation holes of the pad include
In a cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of through holes cut in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the skin, the width of the through hole is formed to increase from the back side to the front side of the skin ,
A vehicle seat characterized in that the number of the through holes per certain area in a region where the skin and the air vent overlap is equal to or greater than the number of the through holes per certain area in a region where the skin and the air vent do not overlap . A pad having an air hole communicating with a blower;
a cover provided to cover the pad and having a plurality of through holes formed therein, the through holes being arranged to at least partially overlap the ventilation holes of the pad;
At least one of the plurality of through holes is disposed in an area not overlapping with the ventilation hole,
The plurality of through holes arranged to overlap at least a portion of the ventilation holes of the pad include
In a cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of through holes cut in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the skin, the width of the through hole is formed to increase from the back side to the front side of the skin ,
a size of the through hole formed in a region where the skin overlaps the air hole is larger than a size of the through hole formed in a region where the skin does not overlap the through hole. 2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a size of the through hole formed in the region where the skin overlaps the air vent is equal to a size of the through hole formed in the region where the skin does not overlap the through hole. 2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a size of the through hole formed in the region where the skin overlaps the air hole is larger than a size of the through hole formed in the region where the skin does not overlap the through hole. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the vehicle seat has a hole assembly in which a portion of the plurality of through holes are gathered together, the hole assembly forms a specific shape, and the area surrounded by the specific shape is arranged on the skin so that the area surrounded by the specific shape overlaps with the air vent. The vehicle seat according to claim 5, characterized in that the area surrounded by the specific shape is arranged on the skin so that the central portion of the specific shape overlaps with the central portion of the air vent. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a frame supporting the pad and a duct connecting the air outlet or intake of the air blower to the air vent, and the air blower is fixed to the frame.

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