JPH0537811Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention mainly relates to an armrest device that is attached to a vehicle seat of an automobile and is capable of standing up and falling down.

[Conventional technology]

As shown in FIG. 5, a seat 1 for a vehicle such as an automobile has an armrest device 4 attached to the side of a seat back 3 at the rear of the seat cushion 2.
Many have a . Most of the armrest devices 4 of this type are of a removable type, in which the armrest main body 5 can be flipped up and rotated to be stored on the side of the seat bag 3 so as not to get in the way when not in use.

In other words, in the normal armrest device 4, the base end portion of the armrest body 5 is rotatably attached to a shaft protruding laterally from the back frame of the seat bag 3, and the armrest body 5 rotates around the axis. It is equipped with a stopper that restricts the rotation range of 5. When the seated person rotates the armrest main body 5 forward by hand, the armrest main body 5 protrudes in front of the seat back 3 and is held in a substantially horizontal overturned state, allowing the seated person to use it as an armrest. Become. When not in use, the armrest main body 5 is held in an upright position by flipping up the armrest main body 5 so that it fits into the side of the seat bag 3.

In addition, such a movable armrest device 4 is provided with an angle adjustment lever 6 at the tip of the armrest main body 5, and by operating this lever 6,
Some devices allow the angle of the armrest main body 5 to be adjusted in multiple stages or steplessly.

[The problem that the idea aims to solve]

By the way, in the conventional movable armrest device 4 as described above, whether it is a device that simply stands up and falls down or a device that is further equipped with an angle adjustment function, all of the armrest devices 4 have armrest main bodies 5 housed in the side of the seat back 3. In order to make the armrest fall forward from this state, the seated person must push it all down with his or her hands, and the seated person must twist their body to wrap their hands around the top of the armrest body 5 and push it down successfully.
The operation was very cumbersome and dangerous while driving.

The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and allows the seated person to operate with one touch with one hand without twisting his or her body.
To provide an easy-to-use armrest device which can be made to fall from an upright state where the armrest body is housed in the side of a seat bag to a state where it pops out forward, and whose operation is very easy and safe.

[Means to solve the problem]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an armrest device in which an armrest main body is pivotally mounted to the side of a seat bag so that the armrest main body can be raised up and down. The present invention is characterized by comprising a lock release operation means for unlocking the lock mechanism by a one-touch operation, and a spring for causing the armrest main body to fall forward into a state when the lock mechanism is released.

[Effect]

In the armrest device configured as described above, when the armrest device is not in use, if the seated person flips up the armrest body by hand and rotates the armrest body upward, the armrest body is locked and held in an upright state where it is stored in the side of the seat back by the locking mechanism, It won't get in the way of getting on and off. Here, when the seated person operates the lock release operation means with one hand, the lock mechanism is unlocked, and the armrest body falls to a state where it protrudes in front of the seat back due to the biasing force of the spring. This allows the seated person to use the armrest body as an armrest.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

First, FIG. 4 is an overall view of a seat 1 for a vehicle such as an automobile, similar to FIG. This armrest device 14 is of a movable type that allows the armrest main body 15 to stand up and fall down, and this armrest main body 15 is provided with an angle adjustment lever 16 at the tip for steplessly adjusting the angle in the falling state, and also in the upright state. A lock release operation button 17 is provided approximately in the middle of the outside to allow the robot to tip forward with a single touch.

Its detailed configuration will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. 1 is a partially sectional plan view of the armrest main body 15 in a fallen state, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional side view of the armrest main body 15 in a fallen state, and FIG. 3 is a partially sectional side view of the armrest main body 15 in an upright state. FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned side view.

First, in FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 18 indicates the main body frame of the armrest main body 15. As shown in FIG. This main body frame 18 is a frame member 1 having a long U-shaped cross section from front to back and made by press forming a thin steel plate.
8a and a cover 18b which is fitted to close the open outer surface and fastened with screws 21, and is configured in the shape of a hollow oblong box with an open front end. The outer periphery of the main body frame 18 except for a part of the tip (front end) is covered with a skin 19 containing cushion material of an appropriate thickness, and the armrest main body 1
5 are configured.

This armrest main body 15 is pivotally connected in a direction in which it can stand up and fall down by fitting a base end (rear end) portion of the main body frame 18 to a fixed shaft 21 which is a component of a locking mechanism 20 which will be described later. ing.
Of course, the fixed shaft 21 is fixed to a frame (not shown) inside the seat bag 3 via a bracket or the like.

Here, the locking mechanism 20 is a rotary spring lock that can lock and hold the armrest main body 15 in any angular position within the range from the inverted state shown in FIG. 2 to the upright state shown in FIG. In other words, this lock mechanism 2
0 includes the fixed shaft 21 having a large diameter part 21a and a small diameter part 21b, a rotary cylinder 22 rotatably fitted to the small diameter part 21b of this fixed shaft 21, and this rotary cylinder 22 and the fixed shaft 21. The shaft locking coil spring 23 is wound around the large diameter portion 21a and both outer peripheral surfaces thereof. The large diameter portion 21a of the fixed shaft 21 and the outer periphery of the rotating cylinder 22 have the same large diameter. This rotating cylinder 22 is a kind of boss, and is a frame member 18 of the main body frame 18 of the armrest main body 15.
a is fixed to the inner surface via a flange 24 so as to rotate together with the armrest main body 15.
The shaft locking coil spring 23 is attached to the fixed shaft 21.
One end 23 of this coil spring 23 has an inner diameter that is in close contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of both the large diameter portion 21a and the rotating cylinder 22, and has a self-resilient force in the tightening direction.
a is a concave hooking portion 2 provided on the flange 24;
4a, and the other end 23b is free. When the other free end 23b is pulled counterclockwise (forward) by a lock release means (to be described later), the coil spring 23 is twisted in the unwinding direction and the coil diameter expands, thereby releasing the lock. The rotary tube 22 can freely rotate together with the armrest main body 15 in either forward or reverse directions. Moreover, when the tensile force of the other end 23b is released, the coil spring 2
3 returns to the tightening direction due to self-resilient force, the coil diameter is reduced, and the coil comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of both the large diameter portion 21a of the fixed shaft 21 and the rotating cylinder 22, and the tightening friction force causes the rotation. Rotation of the cylinder 22 is restricted to lock and hold the armrest main body 15 in any angular position. An end plate 25 for preventing the coil spring 23 from coming off is fitted and fixed to the tip of the fixed shaft 21 of the lock mechanism 20.

As one of the lock release operation means of the lock mechanism 20, an angle adjustment lock release operation means 30 is provided for adjusting the angle of the armrest main body 15 in an overturned state according to the preference of the seated person or the reclining of the seat back 3. ing. This includes the angle adjustment lever 16 described above, a rotation arm 31 that supports the angle adjustment lever 16 at its tip and rotates together with the angle adjustment lever 16, a tension bar 32 that reciprocates in conjunction with the rotation arm 31, and the like. The base end (rear end) of the rotating arm 31 is fitted into a pivot pin 33 provided at a portion slightly closer to the tip than the middle of the inner plate portion of the main body frame 18 of the armrest main body 15, so that the rotating arm 31 can be moved up and down. It is rotatably mounted. The distal end of this rotating arm 31 is slidably fitted into a guide 35 fixed to a distal end portion within the main body frame 18 via a bracket 34, and protrudes forward.
6 is fitted and supported. Further, the rotating arm 31 has a connecting pin 36 at a position spaced downward from the pivot pin 33 at the base end, and the front end of the tension bar 32 is pivotally connected to the connecting pin 36. The rear end of the lock mechanism 20 is connected to the other free end 23b of the coil spring 23 of the lock mechanism 20. Then, move the angle adjustment lever 16 to the second position.
When the pull-up operation is performed as shown by the arrow in the figure, the rotating arm 31 rotates upwards, and in conjunction with this, the tension bar 32 moves forward to lock the locking mechanism 20.
Pull the other end 23b of the coil spring 23 forward,
This allows the coil spring 23 to be twisted in the unwinding direction to expand the coil diameter and release the lock. A torsion coil spring 37 is provided around the pivot pin 33 to reduce the operating force of the angle adjustment lever 16.

Further, as another lock release operation means of the lock mechanism 20, a fall lock release operation means 40 is provided for causing the armrest main body 15 to fall forward from an upright state with a single touch operation. This includes the lock release operation button 17 provided approximately at the outer middle part of the armrest main body 15 described above, and a rotation lever 41 that rotates in conjunction with the lock release operation button 17. The unlocking operation button 17 is slidably fitted into a button guide 42 fitted to a cover 18b on the outside of the main body frame 18 of the armrest main body 15 so as to be retractable. The rotating lever 41 has a plane approximately L.
It is a band-shaped plate bent in a shape of a letter, and the middle bent part thereof is connected to the main body frame 1 of the armrest main body 15.
A pivot pin 43 is attached to the bottom plate portion of the frame member 18a of No. 8.
The rear end of one side piece 41a extending rearward from the bent portion is inserted into the split groove at the rear end of the lock release operation button 17 and connected with a pin 44. The other side piece 41b extending inwardly rises upward in a substantially Z-shape, and the tip thereof is connected to the angle adjustment lock release operation means 30.
The tension bar 32 is inserted perpendicularly into a slit-shaped engagement hole 32a formed in the middle of the tension bar 32.
When the lock release operation button 17 is pressed with a finger, the rotation lever 41 rotates about the pivot pin 43 as shown in FIG. 1, and the tension bar 32 operates the angle adjustment lever 16 described above. The locking mechanism 2 is pushed forward in the same way as when the locking mechanism 2
The lock can be released by pulling the other end 23b of the coil spring 23 forward.

An overturning spring 50 is provided in the main body frame 18 so that when the lock mechanism 20 is unlocked by operating the overturning lock release operating means 40, the armrest main body 15 in the upright state automatically pops out and falls over. There is. The overturning spring 50 is a tension coil spring, and is set so that when the armrest main body 15 is placed in an upright state, the tensile force that forces the armrest main body 15 forward is maximized. That is, one end of the fall spring 50 is hooked to a bracket 51 fixed approximately in the middle of the top plate portion of the body frame 18 of the armrest body 15, and the other end is hooked to the lock mechanism 20.
The bracket 52 is fixedly protruding forward from the end plate 25 at the tip of the fixed shaft 21 (at a position shifted as far forward as possible from the armrest rotation center).

With the armrest device 14 configured as described above, when not in use, the seated person manually pulls up the angle adjustment lever 16 at the tip of the armrest main body 15 from the fallen state shown in FIG. This causes the other end 23b of the coil spring 23 of the locking mechanism 20 to be pulled forward via the tension bar 32, and the coil spring 23 is twisted in the direction to unwind to release the lock, and the armrest main body 15 is then Rotate upward against the overturning spring 50 so as to flip it up, and release the angle adjustment lever 16. As a result, the coil spring 23 of the locking mechanism 20 returns to the tightening direction due to its self-resilient force, and its coil diameter is reduced to connect the large diameter portion 21a of the fixed shaft 21 and the rotating cylinder 2.
2, and its tightening frictional force restricts the rotation of the rotary cylinder 22, locking and holding the armrest main body 15 in an upright state where it fits into the side of the seat back 3 as shown in FIG. .

Next, from the standing state, the armrest main body 15
When tilting forward to utilize the seat, the seated person turns the hand on the armrest side from above to the outside of the armrest main body 15, and presses the lock release operation button 17 of the fall lock release operation means 40 with the finger of that hand. This causes the rotating lever 41 to rotate and push the tension bar 32 forward, and the other end 23b of the coil spring 23 of the locking mechanism 20 is pulled forward to release the lock. By this one-touch unlocking operation, the armrest main body 15 in the upright state is automatically flipped forward by the spring force of the falling spring 50. At this time, the armrest main body 15 rotates and falls forward so as to jump out from between the side and arm (armpit) of the seated person without any obstruction.

The armrest body 15 fell forward in this way.
The seated person manually pulls up the angle adjustment lever 16 at the tip to unlock it and adjust it to the desired angle. This allows it to be used effectively as an armrest.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and for example, the lock release operation button 17 of the overturning lock release operation means 40 may be a lever type instead of the button type shown in the figure. Further, the lock mechanism 20 is configured to be able to adjust the angle of the armrest main body 15 steplessly, but it is also possible to use a lock mechanism (not shown) that can be adjusted in multiple steps in addition to this, and it is also possible to eliminate the angle adjustment. It is also possible to use a system in which the device can be locked in only two positions: the inverted state and the upright state. Various other changes may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Effect of idea]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, by one-touch operation by the seated person with one hand, the armrest can be flipped from the upright position stored in the side of the seat bag to the position where it pops out forward, making the operation extremely easy. This provides a safe and easy-to-use armrest device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the armrest device of the present invention. Figure 1 is a partially sectional plan view of the armrest in an overturned state, and Figure 2 is a partly sectional view of the armrest in an overturned state. A side view, Fig. 3 is a partially sectional side view of the armrest in an upright state, Fig. 4
The figure is a perspective view of the entire seat equipped with the armrest device of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the entire seat equipped with the conventional armrest device. 1... Seat, 3... Seat bag, 14...
Armrest device, 15...Armrest body,
20...Lock mechanism, 40...Lock release operation means, 50...Spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An armrest device in which an armrest main body is pivotally mounted to the side of a seat back so that the armrest main body can be raised up and down, includes a locking mechanism that locks the armrest main body in an upright state, and a locking mechanism that is unlocked by a one-touch operation by a person sitting on the seat. An armrest device comprising a lock release operation means and a spring that causes the armrest main body to fall forward into a state in which the lock mechanism is released.