JP2634538B2 - Seat equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat apparatus which can be adjusted to a thorax support position which gives a comfortable seating feeling to a driver of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many studies have been made on the shape of a seat for providing a comfortable sitting feeling to a occupant. As shown in FIG. 10, the back of the person M when standing upright has a so-called S-shape in which the upper and lower parts of the waist are inside. Considering that it is the most natural to keep this posture and that the spine will not be overreached, it is common to provide a lumbar support 2 for holding the back of the waist forward in the seat 1 as shown in FIG. And it was believed that it alone provided comfort and reduced fatigue.

On the basis of such a concept, attempts have been made to provide the seated person with as much freedom as possible, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 59-168816 and Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-159768. Various seat devices have been proposed.

[0004]

However, according to the study of the inventors, such a conventional technique is a theory biased to static observation in which the user merely sits, It has been found that it is not always adaptable to dynamic situations, such as a driver driving a car.

[0005] That is, since the driver grips the steering wheel to operate, it is common to raise the upper body as shown by the arrow in FIG. 12, and then the driver becomes a so-called stoop and fixes his waist. If it becomes stooped, the abdomen will be compressed and it will be painful, so the so-called ass shift phenomenon that brings the buttocks forward will occur, the back of the buttocks will separate from the seat back, and the body will hit too strongly against the lumbar support 2 There was a problem that it would compress the spine.

As described above, according to the above-mentioned theory of keeping the back of the person M in an S-shape when standing upright, in the case of the driver, the body is not supported and becomes unstable, or the conventional lumbar support is used. However, there is a problem that the spine is adversely affected, the spine is supported in a natural state, a stable seating feeling is obtained, and the driver cannot drive the vehicle.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art. Even when a driver sits for a long time and performs a driving operation, the spine is not overloaded. It is an object of the present invention to provide a seat device that has a stable seating feeling and is hard to be tired.

[0008]

According to the research and research by the inventors, when the driver takes a driving posture for a long time, the back is rounded, and the posture in which the buttocks are slightly shifted forward is most difficult for the spine. Verification has been obtained that it is natural.
In other words, the seating sensation varies from person to person, and there are also time factors. Even if it is comfortable at first, the comfort does not always last.
According to the old theory, a driver is not always comfortable, and an unnatural posture continues for a long time to accumulate fatigue.

Then, as a result of studying what kind of posture is natural and the spine is not overreached by the driver, the hip point C is at the illustrated position as shown in FIG. 8 showing the curve of the vertebra of the seated person. In this case, it is comfortable to raise the upper body as shown in the range A at the upper part and become a stoop, and to lower the buttocks forward as shown at the range B at the lower part, and to put the person M in this state. It was concluded that holding as shown in FIG. 9 is the posture that is least likely to cause fatigue, and this state is called a thorax support posture.

[0010] The curve of the vertebrae of the seated person shown in FIG.
The case of the angle line D of the seat back having an angle most likely to be used most commonly is shown, and ranges A and B indicated by hatching are shown.
Indicates the range of the thorax support posture. The scale of the vertical and horizontal axes is 50 mm. This curve shows the curve at the most commonly used seatback angle.

In an actual use state, the angle of the seat back is used in a range of about 20 to 45 degrees from vertical, and FIG.
When the seat back falls down from the state of FIG. 8, the range of the thorax support posture becomes a more raised state at the upper part, a more protruded state at the lower part, and vice versa when the seat back occurs from the state of FIG. Becomes

Based on such conclusions, the gist of the present invention to achieve the above object is to provide a seat apparatus which can be adjusted to a thorax support position that gives a comfortable sitting feeling to a driver of an automobile, The upper part of the back where the upper part of the back of the driver touches the back cushion body (10)
And the back middle part (1
1) and a lower part of the back (12), which is the lower part of the back of the driver (the part behind the buttocks).
0), the back middle part (11) or the back lower part (1)
A thorax adjusting mechanism (20) for tilting and displacing 2), wherein the thorax adjusting mechanism (20) swingably supports the lower back portion (12) with respect to a seat (13); A lower support arm (21) having a base end pivotally attached to the seat (13) and a distal end fixed to the lower back portion (12); and the lower support arm (21) for adjusting the inclination of the lower back portion (12). ) And a lower reclining device (22) for rocking the upper back (1).
0) is pivotally supported on the side of the lower back portion (12) so as to swingably support the lower back portion (12), and the distal end extending along the side surface of the intermediate back portion (11) has a distal end. An upper support arm (23) fixed to the side surface of the upper back portion (10), an upper reclining device (24) for swinging the upper support arm (23) to adjust the inclination of the upper back portion (10); The back middle part (1
Support means (25) for swingably supporting 1) with respect to the lower back portion (12); and the upper support arm (23).
The back intermediate portion 11 is interlocked with the tilt of the upper support arm (23) so that the back intermediate portion 11 tilts forward at an angle smaller than the tilt angle of the upper support arm (23) as the front tilts. And an interlocking mechanism (30) for driving the seat.

[0013]

[Function] The driver of the automobile is required to adjust the thorax adjustment mechanism (2
0) to operate the upper back (10) or lower back (1)
2) By tilting and displacing, the optimal thorax support posture is appropriately adjusted, and a comfortable sitting feeling can be obtained even when sitting for a long time.

That is, by operating the lower reclining device (22), the lower back portion 12 can be tilted at a predetermined angle together with the lower support arm (21). Also, when the upper reclining device (24) is operated, the upper back portion (10) is tilted forward with respect to the lower back portion (12) together with the upper support arm (23), and the intermediate back portion (11) is moved forward. It can still be tilted forward at a small angle.

As a result, as a result, the back intermediate portion (1
1), and its upper and lower parts (back upper part (1
0) and the lower back part (12) are tilted forward to adjust the driver to a thorough support position in which the driver has a rounded back and the buttocks are slightly shifted forward, and furthermore, an optimum thorax support position preferred by the driver. This can be kept.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the seat device includes a seat back, a back upper portion 10 corresponding to an upper portion of the back of the seated driver, a back intermediate portion 11 corresponding to an intermediate portion of the back of the driver, and a back intermediate portion 11 corresponding to an intermediate portion of the back of the driver. The lower part (behind the buttocks) is divided into a back lower part 12 which contacts, and a thorax adjusting mechanism 20 for displacing the back upper part 10, the back middle part 11, and the back lower part 12 is provided. Note that a headrest 14 is attached to the upper end of the back upper portion 10 by a normal configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the thorax adjusting mechanism 20 includes a lower support arm 21 for swingably supporting the lower back portion 12 with respect to the seat 13;
A lower reclining device 22 for swinging the lower support arm 21 to adjust the inclination of the upper back arm 10, an upper support arm 23 for swingably supporting the upper back 10 with respect to the lower back 12, and adjusting the inclination of the upper back 10 An upper reclining device 24 for swinging the upper support arm 23, a supporting means 25 for swingably supporting the back intermediate portion 11 with respect to the lower back portion 12, and a back intermediate portion 11
Interlocking mechanism 30 that interlocks with the swing of upper support arm 23
And

Here, the lower support arm 21 has a base end pivotally attached to the rear side surface of the seat 13 and a front end lower back arm 12.
It is fixed to the side of.

The lower reclining device 22 is of a known construction, for example, composed of a planetary gear reduction mechanism, and is provided at a pivotal portion of the lower support arm 21. The lower reclining device 22 may be configured to drive an operation shaft (not shown) by human power, or may be configured to be driven by a driving source such as a motor.

The upper support arm 23 has a base end pivotally attached to the side surface of the lower back portion 12 and a distal end extending along the side surface of the intermediate back portion 11 fixed to the side surface of the upper back portion 10. In the middle of the upper support arm 23, an elongated hole 31 that forms an interlocking mechanism 30 described later is formed.

Like the lower reclining device 22, the upper reclining device 24 has a well-known structure such as a planetary gear reduction mechanism, and is provided at a pivot portion of the upper supporting arm 23.

In the case of the first embodiment, the supporting means 25
As shown in FIG. 3, pin-like members 26, 26 extending from both sides of the lower surface of the back intermediate portion 11, and a mounting stay attached to the upper surface of the lower back portion 12 and having holes into which the pin-like members 26, 26 can be freely fitted. 27, 27.
The support means 25 may be attached to the back lower portion 12 with an appropriate play with the attachment stays 27, 27, or
The pin-shaped members 26, 26 have an appropriate flexibility so that the back intermediate portion 11 is swingably supported by a predetermined angle with respect to the back lower portion 12.

The interlocking mechanism 30 allows the back intermediate portion 11 to move the upper support arm 2 as the upper support arm 23 tilts forward.
The back intermediate portion 11 is interlocked with the swing of the upper support arm 23 so as to tilt forward at an angle smaller than the tilt angle of the upper portion 3 (that is, the upper portion 10 of the back). It has such a configuration.

That is, the interlocking mechanism 30 includes the long hole 31 of the upper support arm 23 and the pin-like projection 3 formed on the side surface of the back intermediate portion 11 and slidably fitted in the long hole 31.
It consists of two. The interlocking mechanism 30 includes the upper support arm 2
In a state before tilting of the long hole 31 (a state where it is not tilted with respect to the lower support arm 2), the pin-shaped projection 3 is in a state of contacting the front end (the left end in FIG. 2) of the long hole 31.
2 when the upper support arm 23 is tilted forward,
1 and does not move until it comes into contact with the rear end of the long hole 31, and after contacting this rear end, the upper support arm 2
3, the back intermediate portion 11 integrated with the pin-shaped projection 32 is delayed by a predetermined angle, and is also tilted forward with the tilting of the upper support arm.

The dimensions and the position direction of the long hole 31 are as follows.
The upper support arm 23 is in a state before tilting and the pin-shaped projection 3
2 is in contact with the front end of the long hole 31, the intermediate back portion 11 is located on substantially the same plane as the upper back portion 10 (so-called flush state), and the upper support arm 23
When the (back upper portion 10) tilts forward, the back intermediate portion 11 also tilts forward at a smaller angle as described above, and the back upper portion 10, the back intermediate portion 11, and the back lower portion 12 as a whole as shown in FIG. It is set so that the thorax support posture shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. With the above seat device, the driver of the automobile operates the thorax adjusting mechanism 20 to tilt and displace the upper portion 10 or the lower portion 12 of the seat back to an appropriate thorax support posture as appropriate, and sit for a long time. Also, a comfortable sitting feeling can be obtained.

That is, the lower reclining device 2
By actuating 2, the lower back 12 together with the lower support arm 21 can be tilted at a predetermined angle. Also, if the upper reclining device 24 is activated,
The back upper part 10 is tilted forward with respect to the back lower part 12 together with the upper support arm 23, and the back middle part 11
Can also be tilted forward at a smaller angle.

As a result, as a result, the back intermediate portion 11
The upper part and lower part (back upper part 10 and back lower part 12) are tilted forward with the driver as the center, and the driver has a thorough support position in which the back is rounded and the buttocks are slightly shifted forward, and furthermore, the optimum that the driver likes. It can be adjusted to a proper thorax support position and held.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The seating device of the second embodiment includes a support means for swingably supporting the back intermediate portion 11 with respect to the back lower portion 12 and an interlocking mechanism 40 for interlocking the back intermediate portion 11 with the swing of the upper support arm 23. Since the configuration is characterized and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The supporting means of the seating device is, as shown in FIG. 5, a pivot shaft 35 which simply swingably supports the back intermediate portion 11 with respect to the upper support arm 23. The pivot shaft 35 is, for example, a back shaft. Any pin-shaped body that projects from the side surface of the intermediate portion 11 and fits into the hole of the upper support arm 23 may be used.

As shown in FIG. 5, the interlocking mechanism 40 has one end pivotally attached to the upper end side of the lower support member 21 and the other end pivotally attached to the side surface of the back intermediate portion 11 behind the upper support arm 23. This is a so-called four-bar mechanism that includes the attached link 41 and a part of the upper support arm 23 (a part from the pivot portion of the upper support arm 23 to the pivot axis of the back intermediate portion 11).

The link 4 in the link mechanism 40
The length of one (the length between the connection centers of both ends) is set smaller than the distance from the center of the pivot shaft of the upper support arm 23 to the pivot shaft 35, and the upper support arm 23 tilts forward. The upper support arm 23 of the back intermediate portion 11
Is inclined in the opposite direction.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the center of the pivot axis of the upper support arm 23 is A, the center of the pivot of the interlocking link 41 toward the lower support arm 21 is B, and the center of the interlocking link 41 is the back intermediate portion 11. C is the center of pivot and D is the center of pivot 35
When the upper support arm 23 (node AD) tilts forward with respect to the lower support arm 21 (node AB), the back intermediate portion 11 (node DC) also tilts forward. The angle α formed by the DC gradually decreases, and the upper support arm 23 (node A) of the back intermediate portion 11 (node DC) gradually decreases.
The angle with respect to D) is inclined in the opposite direction.

The value of the angle difference between the upper support arm 23 (back upper portion 10) and the back intermediate portion 11 at the time of tilting is determined by the positional relationship between the nodes ABCD.
By tilting the upper support arm 23 forward when the lower back portion 12 is at the position forming the saw rack support posture shown in FIG. 8, the intermediate back portion 11 and the upper back portion 10 are tilted stepwise as described above. Thus, it is set so that it can be tilted to a position where the saw rack support posture is formed.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.
Even with the above-mentioned seating device, the driver of the automobile operates the thorax adjusting mechanism 20 to tilt and displace the upper back portion 10 or the lower back portion 12 to appropriately adjust the optimal thorax support posture, and is comfortable even when sitting for a long time. A seating feeling can be obtained.

That is, the lower reclining device 2
6, the entire seat back including the lower back portion 12 together with the lower support arm 21 is tilted backward as shown in the middle diagram in FIG. It can be tilted to the angle of the thorax support posture ().

Next, by operating the upper reclining device 24, the upper back 10 is tilted forward with respect to the lower lower 12 together with the upper support arm 23, and the intermediate back 11 is also moved forward at a smaller angle. When tilted (), as shown in the lower diagram of FIG.
As a result, the upper part and the lower part (back upper part 10 and back lower part 12) of the back middle part 11 are tilted forward, and the driver has a thorax support posture in which the back is rounded and the buttocks are slightly shifted forward. In addition, it is possible to adjust and maintain the optimal thorax support posture preferred by the driver.

In the above two embodiments, the structure for operating the reclining device is not described, but it is needless to say that a known structure can be used for this.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, a brake unit may be provided to ensure that the posture is maintained after the adjustment. In this case, as the brake unit, for example,
A known configuration of a rocking coil type used for a normal reclining device may be attached to the reclining devices 22 and 24.

The structure of the interlocking mechanism is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a fixed gear provided on the pivot shaft of the upper support arm 23 in a fixed state to the lower support arm 21 and a pivot shaft 3
A similar function can also be achieved by a mechanism that is an interlocking gear fixedly provided on the back intermediate portion 11 on the back 5 and interlocked with the fixed gear via an intermediate transmission gear.

[0041]

According to the seat device of the present invention, the driver of the automobile operates the thorax adjusting mechanism to tilt and displace the upper or lower part of the seat back to an appropriate optimal thorax support posture, and to perform the operation for a long time. Even when sitting, a comfortable sitting feeling can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a seat device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the seat device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing support means of the seat device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a seat device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a seat device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing operation means of a seat device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the operation of the seat device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a thorax support posture.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a thorax support posture.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining a state of a spine of a human body in an upright posture.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining a support posture in a conventional seat device.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining a support posture in a conventional seat device.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A seat device that can be adjusted to a thorax support position that gives a comfortable seating feeling to a driver of an automobile, wherein the seat back includes a back upper portion where the upper portion of the back of the driver contacts, and a back surface of the driver. The middle part of the back hits the middle part of
A thorax adjusting mechanism for tilting and displacing the upper part, the middle part, and the lower part of the back, which is divided into a lower part of the back that the lower part of the back of the driver hits; A lower support arm having a base end pivotally attached to the seat and a front end fixed to the lower back portion, and swinging the lower support arm to adjust the inclination of the lower back portion. A lower reclining device, a base end pivotally attached to a side surface of the lower back portion, and a tip extending along a side surface of the middle portion of the back portion to swingably support the upper back portion with respect to the lower back portion. An upper support arm fixed to the side surface of the back, an upper reclining device for swinging the upper support arm to adjust the inclination of the upper portion of the back, Supporting means for swingably supporting the back intermediate portion with respect to the back lower portion; and, as the upper support arm tilts forward, the back intermediate portion moves forward at an angle smaller than the tilt angle of the upper support arm. An interlocking mechanism that interlocks the back intermediate portion with the tilting of the upper support arm so as to tilt.