JP7522372B2 - Vehicle seats - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat equipped with an airbag.

There is a known vehicle seat that protects an occupant by inflating and deploying an airbag attached to the side of the seat back of the vehicle seat in the event of a side collision of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Vehicle seats equipped with rotatable armrests on the sides of the seat back are also known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Patent No. 5669567 JP 2007-229134 A

However, in a vehicle seat equipped with an armrest, if an airbag is provided on the same side as the armrest, there is a risk that the airbag will interfere with the armrest when deployed, preventing the airbag from deploying smoothly.

One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle seat to be installed in a vehicle, comprising a seat cushion for supporting the buttocks of an occupant, a seat back erected from the rear end of the seat cushion and supporting the back of the occupant, an armrest installed at the side end of the seat back in the seat width direction and supporting the arms of the occupant, a table installed at the front end of the armrest and supported rotatably around a rotation axis extending in the fore-and-aft direction, an airbag module having an airbag, and a storage section installed behind the armrest and at the side end of the seat back in the seat width direction for accommodating the airbag module. The seat back has bank portions protruding forward on both sides in the seat width direction, the armrest and the storage portion are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction at the outer end of the seat back, the storage portion has a breaking portion that breaks when the airbag of the airbag module inflates from the storage portion, and the breaking portion is formed in the vertical direction at the outer end and front end of the storage portion in the seat width direction, the airbag is configured to be able to be deployed forward of the bank portions when deployed , and the table is arranged to be rotatable between a vertical position and a horizontal position around a rotation axis .

According to the present invention, the airbag can be smoothly inflated and deployed without being hindered by the armrest provided at the side end of the seatback.

1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a vehicle on which a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle system mounted on the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat. FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle seat in an in-use state with the armrest folded forward. FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle seat in a stowed position with the armrest raised. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5, illustrating the mounting structure of the airbag accommodating portion and the airbag module in the vehicle seat according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the airbag is inflated. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a mounting structure of an airbag accommodating portion and an airbag module in a vehicle seat according to a first modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side view of a vehicle seat according to a second modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side view of a vehicle seat according to a third modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a vehicle seat according to a fourth modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side view of a vehicle seat according to a fifth modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a vehicle seat according to a sixth modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 13B is a partial enlarged view of the vehicle seat of FIG. 13A. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which an armrest of a vehicle seat according to a seventh modified example of the present embodiment moves due to deployment of an airbag. FIG. FIG. 14B is a schematic perspective view of the moving mechanism of the vehicle seat of FIG. 14A. FIG. 13 is a side view of a vehicle seat according to a seventh modified example of the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a plan view of the vehicle seat of FIG. 15 .

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. The vehicle seat according to the embodiment of the present invention can be suitably used as a vehicle seat. Below, an embodiment of the vehicle seat as a vehicle seat will be described.

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle seat S according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle are defined as shown. The front-rear direction corresponds to the length direction of the vehicle, the up-down direction corresponds to the height direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle includes a steering wheel SW operated by the driver, a driver's seat S1 arranged facing the steering wheel SW, a passenger seat S2 arranged to the side of the driver's seat S1, a rear seat S3 arranged behind the driver's seat S1 and the passenger seat S2, and a door DR that can be opened and closed relative to the vehicle body. Passengers enter and exit the vehicle through the vehicle's entrance and exit door by opening the door DR. The driver's seat S1 and the passenger seat S2 are provided separately on the left and right sides independently of each other, and are referred to as vehicle seats S.

The vehicle seat S is configured so that its orientation can be changed, and in FIG. 1, the driver's seat S1 faces forward, while the passenger seat S2 faces rearward. When the vehicle seat S faces forward, the occupant is in a riding position facing forward, and when it faces rearward, the occupant is in a riding position facing rearward. Note that in FIG. 1, the steering wheel SW is located on the right side of the vehicle, but it can also be located on the left side.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the in-vehicle system 1 mounted on the vehicle of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the in-vehicle system 1 has an in-vehicle network 19 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). The surrounding condition acquisition system 10, a group of driving condition detection sensors 30, and multiple electronic control units, i.e., ECUs (Electronic Control Units), which perform different controls, are each connected to the in-vehicle network 19.

More specifically, the in-vehicle system 1 includes a surrounding condition acquisition system 10, a collision prediction control ECU 20, a group of driving condition detection sensors 30, an in-vehicle camera 39, an in-vehicle condition monitoring ECU 40, an input/output device 50, a seat control ECU 60, an airbag ECU 70, and an automatic driving control ECU 80. These are all connected to each other via an in-vehicle network 19, and transmit and receive various information.

Each of the ECUs 20, 40, 60, 70, and 80 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input/output interface (I/O interface), and other peripheral circuits as operating circuits. Each of the ECUs 20, 40, 60, 70, and 80 can also be composed of multiple microcomputers.

The surrounding condition acquisition system 10 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) device 11, an in-vehicle communication device 12, a navigation system 13, a radar device 14, and a camera 16, and acquires and outputs information that represents the surrounding conditions of the vehicle.

The GPS device 11 receives signals from three or more GPS satellites to determine the position of the vehicle (e.g., the latitude and longitude of the vehicle). The in-vehicle communication device 12 is a communication device that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles and road-to-vehicle communication with roadside devices. The in-vehicle communication device 12 communicates with roadside devices, for example, to obtain and output surrounding information including traffic information such as congestion and accidents on the route of the vehicle.

The navigation system 13 includes a map information storage unit 13a that stores map information. Based on the position information obtained from the GPS device 11 and the map information stored in the map information storage unit 13a, the navigation system 13 displays the position of the vehicle on a map and provides route guidance to the destination. For example, the navigation system 13 sets a route from the position of the vehicle to the destination, and notifies the occupant of the target route by displaying it on the display and outputting it as audio from the speaker.

The radar device 14 detects objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles around the vehicle, such as in front of, behind, to the left and right of the vehicle, and obtains and outputs the relative position and relative speed of the detected objects and the vehicle. The radar device 14 detects objects by transmitting radio waves (e.g., millimeter waves) around the vehicle and receiving the radio waves reflected by obstacles. In addition to the radar device 14, a lidar device can be used that measures the scattered light in response to the light irradiated in all directions of the vehicle to measure the distance from the vehicle to nearby obstacles. The camera 16 is installed, for example, on the interior side above the windshield of the vehicle. The camera 16 obtains and outputs image information about the surroundings of the vehicle by photographing the external situation of the vehicle.

The group of driving condition detection sensors 30 includes a steering angle sensor 31 that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel SW, a vehicle speed sensor 32 that detects the driving speed of the vehicle, and an acceleration sensor 33 that detects the acceleration applied to the vehicle, as multiple sensors that acquire the driving condition of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 32 detects the vehicle speed, for example, by detecting the rotation speed of the wheels of the vehicle, and outputs the detected vehicle speed information. The acceleration sensor 33 detects acceleration generated by the acceleration/deceleration, turning, collision, etc. of the vehicle. The acceleration sensor 33 includes, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle, and a vertical acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The acceleration sensor outputs the acceleration information of the vehicle to a device connected to the in-vehicle network 19.

The collision prediction control ECU 20 detects the position of objects on the image input from the camera 16 based on information input from the radar device 14 (e.g., the relative position of each object). The collision prediction control ECU 20 also determines the type of object (pedestrian, vehicle, etc.) from the characteristics of the detected object. The collision prediction control ECU 20 repeats the above process at a predetermined control period, monitors objects present around the vehicle, and calculates the probability of collision with the vehicle for each monitored object.

When the collision prediction control ECU 20 detects a monitored object whose probability of collision with the vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it predicts that the vehicle will collide with the monitored object, and outputs a collision prediction signal to the seat control ECU 60 and the airbag ECU 70. That is, the collision prediction signal is output before a collision is detected by the acceleration sensor 33. The collision prediction signal also includes information indicating the type of collision (frontal collision/side collision/rear collision) between the vehicle and the predicted collision object.

The airbag ECU 70 is connected to an inflator 172 that constitutes part of an airbag module 170 (see FIG. 6) that is provided on the side of the seat back 102 of the vehicle seat S described below. The inflator 172 is a device that generates gas for inflating the airbag 171. When the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 33 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the airbag ECU 70 outputs a signal to the inflator 172, causing the inflator 172 to deploy the airbag 171. When a collision prediction signal is input from the collision prediction control ECU 20, the airbag ECU 70 changes the acceleration threshold.

The automatic driving control ECU 80 switches between a manual driving mode in which wheel steering, acceleration, deceleration, braking, etc. are performed based on the driver's operation, and an automatic driving mode in which wheel steering, acceleration, deceleration, braking, etc. are performed automatically. The automatic driving control ECU 80 sets an automatic driving level based on the surrounding conditions and driving conditions of the vehicle, and performs automatic driving control according to the automatic driving level. The automatic driving mode and manual driving mode can be switched between, for example, by the driver operating the input/output device 50.

The automatic driving control ECU 80 controls a throttle actuator 91 that changes the throttle opening of the vehicle, a brake actuator 92 that adjusts the braking force generated by the vehicle's braking device, and a steering actuator 93 that changes the amount of steering of the wheels by the vehicle's steering device. The throttle actuator 91 controls the amount of air supplied to the engine (throttle opening) according to instructions from the automatic driving control ECU 80, and controls the driving force of the vehicle. The brake actuator 92 controls the brake system according to instructions from the automatic driving control ECU 80, and controls the braking force applied to the vehicle's wheels. The steering actuator 93 controls the drive of the assist motor that constitutes part of the electric power steering system.

When the vehicle's driving mode is set to the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving control ECU 80 performs autonomous driving control processing to drive the vehicle automatically without the driver in the driver's seat performing any driving operation. This autonomous driving control processing is realized by determining the vehicle and its surrounding conditions based on information from the surrounding condition acquisition system 10 and the driving condition detection sensor group 30, and controlling the throttle actuator 91, brake actuator 92, and steering actuator 93.

The automatic driving control ECU 80 selects one of multiple automatic driving levels based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle and the driving state of the vehicle. There are levels 0 to 5 for automatic driving, depending on the degree of intervention of the automatic driving system. Level 0 is a level where the driver manually performs all operations such as acceleration, steering, and braking (manual driving state), and is described in this specification as a manual driving mode. Level 1 is a level where the system performs one of acceleration, steering, and braking. Level 2 is a level where the system performs multiple operations among acceleration, steering, and braking. Level 3 is a level where the system performs all acceleration, steering, and braking, but the driver's operation is required in response to a request from the system, for example, when getting off a highway or in an emergency. Level 4 is a level where the driver does not need to be involved in driving at all under certain circumstances, and all acceleration, steering, and braking are performed by the system. Level 5 is a level where the system performs all acceleration, steering, and braking under any circumstances, and does not require a driver. The autonomous driving control ECU 80 executes autonomous driving control processing according to the autonomous driving level that is set. The autonomous driving control processing can be realized using known technology.

The autonomous driving control ECU 80 includes a vehicle position recognition unit 81, an external situation recognition unit 82, a driving state recognition unit 83, a driving plan generation unit 84, and a driving control unit 85. The autonomous driving control ECU 80 generates a driving plan along a preset target route based on the vehicle's surrounding information and map information using the above units, and controls the driving so that the vehicle drives autonomously according to the generated driving plan.

The vehicle position recognition unit 81 recognizes the position of the vehicle on the map based on the vehicle position information received by the GPS device 11 and the map information in the map information storage unit 13a. The vehicle position recognition unit 81 may also obtain the vehicle position used in the navigation system 13 from the navigation system 13 and recognize it.

The external situation recognition unit 82 recognizes the external situation of the vehicle based on the surrounding information acquired by the in-vehicle communication device 12 and the detection results of the surrounding situation acquisition system 10 (e.g., obstacle information from the radar device 14, image information from the camera 16, etc.). The external situation includes, for example, the position of the white lines of the lane relative to the vehicle, the position of the lane center, the road width, the road shape, the situation of obstacles around the vehicle, etc. The situation of obstacles around the vehicle includes, for example, information distinguishing between fixed and moving obstacles, the position of the obstacle relative to the vehicle, the moving direction of the obstacle relative to the vehicle, the relative speed of the obstacle relative to the vehicle, etc.

The driving condition recognition unit 83 recognizes the driving condition of the vehicle based on the detection results of the driving condition detection sensor group 30 (e.g., vehicle speed information from the vehicle speed sensor 32, acceleration information from the acceleration sensor 33, etc.).

The driving plan generation unit 84 generates a course for the vehicle based on, for example, the target route calculated by the navigation system 13, the vehicle position recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 81, and the external situation of the vehicle (including the vehicle position and direction) recognized by the external situation recognition unit 82. In other words, it generates a trajectory for the vehicle to follow on the target route.

The driving control unit 85 automatically controls the driving of the vehicle based on the driving plan generated by the driving plan generation unit 84. The driving control unit 85 outputs control signals according to the driving plan to each actuator 91, 92, 93. As a result, the driving control unit 85 controls the operation of the vehicle so that the vehicle drives autonomously in accordance with the driving plan. When controlling the driving of the vehicle, the driving control unit 85 controls the driving of the vehicle in accordance with the driving plan while monitoring the recognition results of the vehicle position recognition unit 81, the external situation recognition unit 82, and the driving state recognition unit 83.

The input/output device 50 notifies the occupant of various information such as the vehicle's status and inputs information from the occupant. The input/output device 50 includes, for example, switches for operating turn signals, headlights, windshield wipers, etc., a switching operation unit for automatic driving, an operation panel that displays various information and has a touch sensor that detects contact with the occupant's fingers, etc., and other operation units for inputting various operations. The switching operation unit for automatic driving is an operation unit that issues instructions to switch from manual driving to automatic driving and instructions to switch from automatic driving to manual driving.

An in-vehicle camera 39 is connected to the in-vehicle situation monitoring ECU 40, and information from the in-vehicle camera 39 is input. The in-vehicle situation monitoring ECU 40 monitors the status of the occupants of the vehicle, including the occupant seated in the driver's seat, based on images of the interior of the vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera 39. The occupant's status may include, for example, whether or not they are drowsy, whether or not they are looking away from the road, etc. The in-vehicle situation monitoring ECU 40 detects biometric information including at least one of the occupant's line of sight, facial direction, eye movement, and facial movement by image recognition, and detects the status of the occupant (particularly the occupant seated in the driver's seat) based on the detected biometric information.

The seat control ECU 60 controls a seat back drive unit 161 that adjusts the angle of the seat back 102 of the vehicle seat S (FIG. 3) described below, and a seat cushion drive unit 162 that rotates the seat cushion 101 of the vehicle seat S around a vertical axis.

The seat control ECU 60 adjusts the angle of the seat back 102 by controlling the driving of the seat back driving unit 161. For example, when a signal indicating that the current autonomous driving level is 4 or higher is input from the autonomous driving control ECU 80, the seat control ECU 60 drives the seat back driving unit 161 when an operation signal to recline the vehicle seat S is input from the input/output device 50. This adjusts the angle of the seat back 102 so that the seat back 102 is reclined, and the vehicle seat S is reclined. When a signal indicating that the autonomous driving level has become less than 4 is input from the autonomous driving control ECU 80 during an autonomous driving mode with an autonomous driving level of 4 or higher, the seat control ECU 60 drives the seat back driving unit 161 to adjust the angle of the seat back 102 so that the seat back 102 is raised.

The seat control ECU 60 changes the orientation of the vehicle seat S by controlling the driving of the seat cushion driving unit 162. For example, when a signal indicating that the current autonomous driving level is 4 or higher is input from the autonomous driving control ECU 80, and an operation signal to turn the vehicle seat S backward is input from the input/output device 50, the seat control ECU 60 drives the seat cushion driving unit 162 to rotate the seat cushion 101 180 degrees and turn the vehicle seat S backward. When a signal indicating that the autonomous driving level has become less than 4 is input from the autonomous driving control ECU 80 during an autonomous driving mode with an autonomous driving level of 4 or higher, the seat control ECU 60 drives the seat cushion driving unit 162 to rotate the seat cushion 101 and turn the vehicle seat S forward.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of vehicle seats S (driver's seat S1, passenger seat S2). The driver's seat S1 and passenger seat S2 are configured symmetrically. In the following, for convenience, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle seat S are defined as shown in the figure, and the configuration of each part is explained according to these definitions. Of the front-rear directions, the front is the direction in which an occupant faces when in a riding position, the left-right direction is the seat width direction, and the up-down direction is the seat height direction. Note that when the driver's seat S1 is disposed facing the steering wheel SW as shown in Figure 1, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle seat S coincide with the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle seat S includes a seat cushion 101 that supports the buttocks of an occupant, a seat back 102 that supports the back of the occupant, a headrest 103 that is provided on the upper part of the seat back 102 and supports the head of the occupant, and armrests 104 that are provided on the left and right ends of the seat back 102 and support the arms of the occupant. The seat cushion 101 extends in the front-rear and left-right directions, and has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above. The seat back 102 extends in the up-down and left-right directions, and has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the front. The seat back 102 is supported on the rear end of the seat cushion 101 so as to be tiltable in the front-rear direction.

The armrests 104 include a left armrest 104L provided on the left side of the seat back 102 and a right armrest 104R provided on the right side of the seat back 102. That is, the vehicle seat S is provided with a pair of symmetrical armrests 104 (104L, 104R). Each armrest 104 is attached to the seat back 102 so as to be rotatable around an axis 141 extending in the left-right direction.

Figure 4 is a side view of the vehicle seat S showing the armrest 104 in use, and Figure 5 is a side view of the vehicle seat S showing the armrest 104 in a stored state. The armrest 104 is provided so as to be rotatable through approximately 90° between the use position shown in Figure 4 and the stored position shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 4, the armrest 104 protrudes forward from the seat back 102 in the use position, and in this state, the occupant can rest their arms on the upper surface of the armrest 104. As shown in Figure 5, the armrest 104 is retracted in the stored position without protruding forward from the seat back 102.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 4. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the seat back 102 and the seat cushion 101 each include a seat frame 110, a seat pad 105a made of urethane foam or the like that is attached to the seat frame 110, and a skin material 105b made of fabric, leather, or the like that is placed over the seat pad 105a. The armrest 104 includes an arm frame 140, an arm pad 140a made of urethane foam or the like that is attached to the arm frame 140, and a skin material 140b made of fabric, leather, or the like that is placed over the arm pad 140a.

The seat back 102 has a pair of left and right bank portions 115 that protrude forward from the center in the left-right direction on both sides of the width of the vehicle seat S, i.e., on the left and right sides of the vehicle, and the front surface of the seat back 102 is formed in a concave shape. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the bank portions 115 have an inclined portion 115a that inclines forward and outward in the left-right direction, and a side wall portion 115b that extends rearward from the front end of the inclined portion 115a. The pair of left and right bank portions 115 support the occupant seated in the vehicle seat S in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, a rotation mechanism 163 that rotates the vehicle seat S about a vertical axis is provided below the seat cushion 101. This rotation mechanism 163 allows the vehicle seat S (e.g., the passenger seat S2) to change direction by 180 degrees as shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle seat S has an airbag 171 (so-called side airbag). In relation to this, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the vehicle seat S has a pair of left and right airbag modules 170 provided at the left and right side ends of the seat back 102, and a pair of left and right airbag storage sections 107 that respectively accommodate the pair of left and right airbag modules 170. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the airbag module 170 includes a left airbag module 170L provided at the left side and a right airbag module 170R provided at the right side of the seat back 102, which are configured symmetrically. The airbag storage section 107 includes a left airbag storage section 107L that accommodates the left airbag module 170L and a right airbag storage section 107R that accommodates the right airbag module 170R, which are configured symmetrically. The left airbag storage section 107L is provided behind the left armrest 104L, and the right airbag storage section 107R is provided behind the right armrest 104R.

The airbag storage section 107 is configured as a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the vertical direction, and is disposed along the left and right side edges of the seat back 102. A break portion 108 is formed in the vertical direction at the outer front end of the airbag storage section 107, more precisely, at the corner where the outer side surface in the horizontal direction and the front end face intersect. The break portion 108 is a portion that breaks when the airbag 171 of the airbag module 170 stored in the airbag storage section 107 inflates, and becomes the exit of the deployed airbag 171. In other words, the break portion 108 is a tear line formed along the outer front end of the airbag storage section 107.

The airbag module 170 housed in the airbag housing 107 constitutes a device that absorbs the impact during a vehicle collision and protects the occupants. The airbag module 170 may be a caseless airbag module that does not have a module case, or it may have a module case.

As shown in FIG. 6, the airbag module 170 includes an airbag 171 and an inflator 172. The airbag 171 and the inflator 172 are both wrapped in a wrapping material and held in place. The inflator 172 is a device that generates gas in response to an input signal from a harness (not shown). The airbag ECU 70 shown in FIG. 2 outputs an activation signal to the inflator 172 when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 33 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. When the activation signal is input to the inflator 172, the inflator 172 generates gas and injects the gas into the airbag 171. This causes the airbag 171 to inflate and deploy when the vehicle collides. The inflator 172 can also be activated in response to a collision prediction signal.

The airbag module 170 is attached to the seat back frame 110B. The seat back frame 110B is a skeletal portion of the seat back 102 portion of the seat frame 110 that forms the skeleton of the vehicle seat S. In other words, the seat back frame 110B is a part of the seat frame 110.

As shown in FIG. 3, the seatback frame 110B includes an inverted U-shaped pipe frame 111, a pair of left and right plate-shaped frames 112, and a lower frame 114 that is installed between the lower ends of the pair of left and right plate-shaped frames 112. In other words, the seatback frame 110B is configured in a generally rectangular frame shape that conforms to the outer shape of the seatback 102 that extends in the up, down, left and right directions.

More specifically, the upper frame 111A of the seatback frame 110B is formed by the upper part of the pipe frame 111 extending in the left-right direction. A pair of left and right side parts 111B of the pipe frame 111 extending downward from both left and right ends of the upper part of the pipe frame 111 are joined by welding to the upper ends of a pair of left and right plate-like frames 112. The side frames 113 of the seatback frame 110B are formed by joining the side parts 111B of the pipe frame 111 to the plate-like frames 112.

As shown in FIG. 6, the armrest 104 is attached to the front of the plate-shaped frame 112 via a bearing metal fitting 190. Specifically, the plate-shaped frame 112 has a side plate portion 112A extending in the front-rear direction in the space behind the bank portion 115 of the seat back 102, a bent portion 112B at the front end of the side plate portion 112A that is bent in an arc shape inward in the left-right direction along the shape of the bank portion 115, and an airbag support portion 112C that is bent inward in the left-right direction from the rear end of the side plate portion 112A and extends in the left-right direction. The bearing metal fitting 190 is attached to the outer left-right surfaces of the side plate portion 112A near the bent portion 112B.

The bearing fitting 190 has a pair of front and rear plate-shaped flanges 191 each extending in the front-rear direction, and a shaft mounting portion 192 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that protrudes outward in the left-right direction between the pair of front and rear flanges 191. The flanges 191 are arranged facing the left and right inner surfaces of the side wall portion 115b of the bank portion 115, and are fixed to the plate-shaped frame 112 by fasteners 195 such as bolts that penetrate the side plate portion 112A of the plate-shaped frame 112. At this time, the shaft mounting portion 192 is housed inside the seat pad portion 105a in a state in which it penetrates the seat pad portion 105a. The end of the shaft portion 141 that penetrates the armrest 104 in the left-right direction is fixed to the outer left-right end of the shaft mounting portion 192. As a result, the armrest 104 is supported rotatably with respect to the seat back 102 with the shaft portion 141 as the central axis.

A plate-shaped bracket 180 is attached to the airbag support portion 112C of the plate-shaped frame 112. The bracket 180 has a first attachment portion 181 extending in the left-right direction, a rearward extending portion 182 extending rearward from the left-right outer ends of the first attachment portion 181, and a second attachment portion 183 extending outward in the left-right direction from the rear end of the rearward extending portion 182, and is formed by bending the entire bracket into a crank shape. The first attachment portion 181 is fixed to the rear end surface of the airbag support portion 112C of the plate-shaped frame 112 using a fastener 185 such as a bolt.

A through hole is formed in the second mounting portion 183, through which the stud bolt 172a protruding from the inflator 172 of the airbag module 170 is inserted. With the stud bolt 172a inserted into this through hole, the inflator 172 is fixed to the bracket 180 by the fastener 184. This fixes the airbag module 170 to the bracket 180.

The airbag storage section 107 has a front plate 107a, a pair of left and right side plate sections 107b, 107c extending rearward from both left and right ends of the front plate section 107a, and a rear plate section 107d connecting the rear ends of the pair of left and right side plate sections 107b, 107c, and has an approximately rectangular cross section as a whole. The front plate section 107a faces the rear end surface of the side wall section 115b of the bank section 115 of the seat back 102 and is disposed rearward of the side wall section 115b. The side plate section 107c on the inner side in the left and right direction faces the side plate section 112A of the plate-shaped frame 112 and the extension section 182 of the bracket 180 and is disposed on the outer side in the left and right direction. The outer ends in the left and right direction of the airbag storage section 107 protrude outward in the left and right direction from the left and right side ends of the seat back 102. The amount of protrusion is approximately equal to the left-right thickness of the armrest 104, and the left-right outer end surface of the side plate portion 107b is located on or almost on an extension line of the left-right outer end surface of the armrest 104. As a result, the maximum seat width of the vehicle seat S is determined by the armrest 104.

A slit is formed in the side plate portion 107c of the airbag storage portion 107 into which the second mounting portion 183 of the bracket 180 is inserted. With the second mounting portion 183 of the bracket 180 inserted into this slit, the airbag storage portion 107 is fixed to the bracket 180. As a result, with the airbag module 170 housed inside the airbag storage portion 107, the airbag storage portion 107 and the airbag module 170 are attached to the side frame 113.

The break portion 108 is formed along the connection between the front plate portion 107a and the side plate portion 107b on the outer side in the left-right direction. In other words, the break portion 108 is formed in the vertical direction at a corner portion of the airbag storage portion 107 located on the outer side of the seat and in front of the seat. The break portion 108 may be formed by forming a slit in the airbag storage portion 107.

Figure 7 is a plan view showing the airbag 171 in an activated state. In this embodiment, the breakage portion 108 of the airbag storage portion 107 is formed on a line extending rearward from the outer end surface of the armrest 104 in the left-right direction. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, when the airbag module 170 inflates, the airbag 171 pushes open the breakage portion 108 and can inflate into the space on the side of the vehicle seat S. This allows the airbag 171 to inflate and deploy without interfering with the armrest 104.

The base end of the armrest 104, i.e., the rear end and the outer end in the left-right direction, is provided with a recess 104c that curves along the outer circumferential surface of the airbag 171 in the deployed state. By providing the recess 104c, interference between the airbag 171 and the armrest 104 can be more effectively suppressed. Note that the position and shape of the recess 104c are not limited to those described above, and the recess can be set appropriately in the armrest 104 taking into account the deployment direction of the airbag 171, etc.

The airbag 171 is configured so that when deployed, it can be deployed forward of the straight line L1 that defines the front end of the bank portion 115. This allows the airbag 171 to efficiently absorb the side impact of the occupant 90 during a collision. The airbag storage portion 107 may be covered with a skin material. In this case, the skin may be sewn in a position close to the rupture portion 108 so that the skin material ruptures at the rupture portion 108 in response to the inflation of the airbag 171.

According to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) The vehicle seat according to this embodiment is configured as a vehicle seat S to be installed in a vehicle (FIG. 1). The vehicle seat S includes a seat cushion 101 for supporting the buttocks of an occupant, a seat back 102 standing upright from the rear end of the seat cushion 101 and supporting the back of the occupant, an arm rest 104 for supporting the arms of the occupant, an air bag module 170 having an air bag 171 and installed behind the arm rest 104 and at a side end of the seat back 102 in the seat width direction, and an air bag housing 107 for housing the air bag module 170 (FIG. 3). The seat back 102 has bank portions 115 protruding forward on both sides in the seat width direction (FIG. 3). The airbag storage portion 107 has a breaking portion 108 that breaks when the airbag 171 of the airbag module 170 inflates from the airbag storage portion 107, and the breaking portion 108 is formed in the vertical direction at the side end and front end of the airbag storage portion 107 in the seat width direction (FIGS. 3 and 6). The airbag 171 is configured to be able to be inflated forward of the bank portion 115 when deployed (FIG. 7). This allows the airbag 171 to be inflated and deployed without interfering with the armrest 104, and allows the occupant 90 to efficiently absorb impacts from the side. In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat S in which the armrest 104 provided on the side of the seat back 102 does not hinder the deployment of the airbag 171 provided on the same side, and the airbag 171 is smoothly inflated and deployed.

(2) The armrest 104 is provided with a recess 104c that curves along the outer periphery of the airbag 171 in the deployed state (FIG. 7). This makes it possible to more effectively prevent interference between the airbag 171 and the armrest 104.

(3) The vehicle seat S is provided so that its orientation in the front-rear direction can be changed (FIG. 1). The armrest 104 has a left armrest 104L (first armrest) provided on the left side of the seat back 102 and a right armrest 104R (second armrest) provided on the right side of the seat back 102, and the airbag module 170 has a left airbag module 170L (first airbag module) provided behind the left armrest 104L and a right airbag module 170R (second airbag module) provided behind the right armrest 104R (FIG. 3). This allows the driver to be appropriately protected when the vehicle seat S is reclined or when the vehicle seat is rotated 180 degrees and facing backward.

The above embodiment can be modified in various ways. Modifications of the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.
<First Modification>
In the above embodiment, the airbag storage portion 107 and the airbag module 170 are attached to the side plate 112A via the bracket 180 (FIG. 6), but the mounting structure of the airbag storage portion 107 and the airbag module 170 to the seat back frame 110B is not limited to this, and various configurations can be adopted. Figure 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of Figure 6. In Figure 8, the airbag storage portion 107 and the airbag module 170 are directly attached to the side plate 112A of the plate-like frame 112. The configuration of Figure 8 will be specifically described below.

As shown in FIG. 8, a through hole is formed in the side plate 107c on the inner side in the left-right direction of the airbag storage section 107, through which the stud bolt 172a of the inflator 172 is inserted. Correspondingly, a through hole is also formed in the side plate 112A, through which the stud bolt 172a of the inflator 172 is inserted. When attaching the airbag storage section 107, the stud bolt 172a of the inflator 172 is inserted into each of the through holes of the airbag storage section 107 and the side plate 112A, and the stud bolt 172a is fixed to the side plate 112A with a fastener 184 such as a nut. As a result, with the airbag module 170 housed inside the airbag storage section 107, the airbag storage section 107 and the airbag module 170 are attached to the side of the side frame 113.

<Second Modification>
In the above embodiment, the armrest 104 is rotatably supported on the side end of the seat back 102, but it may be supported from somewhere other than the seat back 102. Fig. 9 is a side view of a vehicle seat S showing one example. In Fig. 9, the armrest 204 is supported from the seat cushion 101 via a connecting portion 243. More specifically, one end of the connecting portion 243 is attached to the front side of the seat cushion 101 via an attachment portion 241.

The mounting portion 241 may be attached to the seat cushion frame 110C arranged inside the seat cushion 101 by fasteners such as bolts and nuts, or may be attached to the seat cushion frame 110C by welding or the like. The seat cushion frame 110C is the skeletal part of the seat frame 110 that corresponds to the seat cushion 101. The connecting portion 243 has a vertical portion 243a extending upward from the mounting portion 241, and a horizontal portion 243b that bends 90 degrees rearward from the tip of the vertical portion 243a and extends rearward. The armrest 204 has an arm frame 240 fixed to the horizontal portion 243b, an arm pad 140a attached to the arm frame 240, and a cover material 140b that covers the arm pad 140a.

In this way, by providing the mounting portion 241 of the armrest 204 on the front side of the seat cushion 101, a larger space can be secured on the side of the seat back 102 compared to the above embodiment. This allows for a high degree of freedom in setting the range in which the airbag 271, shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, inflates and deploys, and makes it easy to avoid interference between the inflating airbag 271 and the armrest 204.

<Third Modification>
Fig. 10 is a side view of the vehicle seat S showing another mounting structure of the armrest 304. Unlike Fig. 9, in Fig. 10, the armrest 304 is supported from below the seat cushion 101 via a connecting portion 343. More specifically, the mounting portion 341 of the armrest 304 is provided on the engaging portion 109 which engages with a guide rail 349 that guides the movement of the seat cushion 101 in the front-rear direction.

The engagement portion 109 is provided at the bottom of the seat cushion frame 110C. This allows a larger space to be secured on the side of the seat back 102 compared to the above embodiment. This allows for a high degree of freedom in setting the range in which the airbag 271 inflates and deploys, and makes it easy to avoid interference between the inflating airbag 271 and the armrest 304.

<Fourth Modification>
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the vehicle seat S showing yet another mounting structure of the armrest 304. In FIG. 11, the mounting portion 441 of the armrest 404 is provided on the inside of the seat cushion 101. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the mounting portion 441 of the armrest 404 is attached to a seat cushion frame 110C (not shown in FIG. 11) constituting the seat cushion 101, and the connecting portion 442 is provided so as to extend upward from the mounting portion 441. With this configuration, a larger space can be secured on the side of the seat back 102 compared to the above embodiment. Therefore, the degree of freedom in setting the range in which the airbag 471 inflates and deploys is high, and interference between the inflating airbag 471 and the armrest 404 can be easily avoided.

In addition, in the example of FIG. 11, the entire armrest 404 is disposed inside the seat cushion 101 in a plan view. Therefore, the installation position of the airbag storage portion 107 can be set inside the seat back 102 compared to the above embodiment. As a result, the left-right width W of the vehicle seat S can be reduced, and the deployment space of the airbag 471, shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 11, can be made even larger.

In this way, in the second, third and fourth modified examples, the mounting parts 241, 341, 441 of the armrests 204, 304, 404 are provided on the front, inside or under the seat cushion 101 (see Figures 9, 10 and 11), so that the armrests 204, 304, 404 can be spaced apart from the airbag storage part 107 compared to the above embodiment. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the airbags 271, 471 from interfering with the armrests 204, 304, 404 when the airbags 271, 471 are deployed. In addition, the degree of freedom in the installation position of the airbag storage part 107 is also increased. Note that the configuration of the connecting parts 243, 343, 442 as armrest support parts that support the armrests is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration.

<Fifth Modification>
The vehicle seat S may be provided with a moving device that moves the armrest 104. Fig. 12 is a side view (partially enlarged view) of the vehicle seat S showing an example of such a configuration. In Fig. 12, the vehicle seat S is provided with a sliding movement device 550 that slides the armrest 104.

As shown in FIG. 12, the plate-shaped frame 112 has a long hole 112b extending substantially vertically, into which the shaft mounting portion 192 of the bearing fitting 190 is fitted. The shaft mounting portion 192 is movable along the long hole 112b. The slide movement device 550 includes a support shaft 551 that supports the shaft mounting portion 192 from below, and an electric actuator 552 that moves the support shaft 551 in the axial direction (front-back direction). The electric actuator 552 includes an electric motor as a drive source, and a ball screw mechanism or a rack-and-pinion mechanism that is a motion conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the electric motor into linear motion of the support shaft 551.

When the seat control ECU 60 (FIG. 2) receives a collision prediction signal, it outputs an activation signal to drive the electric actuator 552, and moves the support shaft 551 supporting the shaft mounting portion 192 rearward. As a result, the shaft mounting portion 192 is no longer supported, and the shaft mounting portion 192 falls by gravity along the long hole 112b. As a result, the armrest 104 moves away from the airbag storage portion 107. According to this modified example, a collision is predicted, and the armrest 104 can be moved away from the airbag storage portion 107 before the airbag 171 deploys. Therefore, compared to the above embodiment, it is possible to more effectively prevent the airbag 171 from interfering with the armrest 104 when the airbag 171 deploys. In addition, the degree of freedom in the installation position of the airbag storage portion 107 is also increased.

<Sixth Modification>
A rotation device for rotating the armrest 104 may be provided instead of the sliding device 550. Fig. 13A is a plan view of an example, and Fig. 13B is an enlarged view of a main part of Fig. 13A. In Figs. 13A and 13B, the vehicle seat S includes a rotation device 650 for rotating (rotating) the armrest 104.

As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, the rotation device 650 includes a first electric motor 651 provided inside the bank portion 115 and a second electric motor 652 provided at the base end of the armrest 604. The stator 651s of the first electric motor 651 is fixed to the left and right sides of the seatback frame 110B. The rotor 651r of the first electric motor 651 and the stator 652s of the second electric motor 652 are connected by a connecting member 653. The rotor 652r of the second electric motor 652 is fixed to the arm frame of the armrest 604.

The rotor 651r of the first electric motor 651 and the rotor 652r of the second electric motor 652 are arranged to extend in the vertical direction. The seat back 102 and the arm rest 604 are formed with openings that allow the connecting member 653 to move.

When the collision prediction signal is input, the seat control ECU 60 (FIG. 2) rotates the armrest 604 90 degrees in one direction (counterclockwise in the figure) around the rotor 651r using the first electric motor 651, and rotates the armrest 604 90 degrees in the other direction (clockwise in the figure) around the rotor 652r using the second electric motor 652. As a result, the armrest 604 is positioned above the seat cushion 101.

In other words, in a plan view, the armrest 604 moves from the outside to the inside of the seat cushion 101. That is, the armrest 604 moves away from the airbag storage section 107. This allows a collision to be predicted, and the armrest 604 can be moved away from the airbag storage section 107 before the airbag 171 deploys. Therefore, compared to the above embodiment, it is possible to more effectively prevent the airbag 171 from interfering with the armrest 604 when the airbag 171 deploys. In addition, the degree of freedom in the installation position of the airbag storage section 107 is also increased.

<Seventh Modification>
In the sixth modified example, the armrest 604 is driven by the first electric motor 651 and the second electric motor 652, but the armrest may be moved by utilizing the force generated when the airbag 171 is inflated and deployed. Figures 14A and 14B are diagrams showing the configuration of a movement mechanism 750 that enables such movement of the armrest 704.

14A in particular is a diagram showing how the armrest 704 moves due to the deployment of the airbag 171, and FIG. 14B is a schematic perspective view of the movement mechanism 750. As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the movement mechanism 750 includes a pair of upper and lower first tubular members 751 fixed to the seat back frame 110B, a pair of upper and lower second tubular members 752 fixed to the arm frame 740, and a connecting member 753 having one end rotatably attached to the first tubular member 751 and the other end rotatably attached to the second tubular member 752. The first tubular member 751 is disposed inside the bank portion 115, and the second tubular member 752 is disposed at the base end 704a of the armrest 704.

The connecting member 753 has through holes that penetrate in the vertical direction at both ends. One end of the connecting member 753 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between a pair of first cylindrical members 751. A pin 751p extending in the vertical direction is inserted into one end of the connecting member 753 and the through hole of the first cylindrical member 751. The other end of the connecting member 753 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between a pair of second cylindrical members 752. A pin 752p extending in the vertical direction is inserted into the other end of the connecting member 753 and the through hole of the second cylindrical member 752.

14A, during normal use, the armrest 704 is positioned so that the base end 704a is located to the side of the bank portion 115 (see the two-dot chain line). When the airbag 171 is inflated and deployed, the airbag 171 urges the base end 704a of the armrest 704 from the rear to the front. This causes the armrest 704 to rotate counterclockwise around the pin 751p and clockwise around the pin 752p. As a result, the armrest 704 is positioned so that the base end 704a is located in front of the bank portion 115 (see the solid line), as in the sixth modified example. Since the armrest 704 is positioned in front of the bank portion 115 and separated from the airbag storage portion 107, the deployment space of the airbag 171 can be made wider on the side of the seat back 102.

The first cylindrical member 751 is provided with stoppers 751a and 751b that can come into contact with the shaft of the connecting member 753. The stoppers 751a and 751b are provided so that the rotation range of the connecting member 753 around the pin 751p is about 90 degrees. The second cylindrical member 752 is provided with stoppers 752a and 752b that can come into contact with the shaft of the connecting member 753. The stoppers 752a and 752b are provided so that the rotation range of the connecting member 753 around the pin 752p is about 90 degrees.

In this way, the vehicle seat S according to the seventh modified example is provided with a movement mechanism 750 that moves the armrest 704 so that the armrest 704 moves away from the airbag 171 in conjunction with the deployment of the airbag 171. Therefore, the armrest 704 can be moved without providing a drive source such as an electric motor, and the deployment space of the airbag 171 can be easily secured.

<Eighth Modification>
Accessories may be provided to the armrest. Figures 15 and 16 are a side view and a plan view of a vehicle seat S showing an example. In Figures 15 and 16, a table 891 is provided to the left armrest 804L. The table 891 may be provided to either the left or right armrest 804.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, the table 891 is connected to the front end of the armrest 804. A pair of left and right holding plates 847 are provided at the front end of the armrest 804. A rotating member 892 is disposed between the pair of left and right holding plates 847. The pair of left and right holding plates 847 and the rotating member 892 are provided with through holes, and a pin 848 extending in the left-right direction is inserted into the through hole. Therefore, the table 891 can rotate about the pin 848 between a position where the tip is disposed below the armrest 804 (see the two-dot chain line in Figure 15) and a position where the tip is disposed above the armrest 804 (see the solid line in Figure 15).

A pin 893 extending in a direction perpendicular to the pin 848 is provided at the end of the pivoting member 892. The base end of the table 891 is rotatably attached to the pin 893. In other words, the table 891 can rotate around the pin 893 between a vertical position (see FIG. 15) and a horizontal position (see FIG. 16). The right armrest 104R is provided with a placement portion 895 on which the end of the table 891 is placed. The placement portion 895 can be stored inside the right armrest 104R.

The table 891 has a curved portion 891a that curves along the steering wheel SW. The curved portion 891a is a recess formed so as not to interfere with the steering wheel SW. When using the table 891, the table 891 in an unused state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 15 is rotated around the pin 848 as shown by the arrow A to stand it up vertically, and then rotated around the pin 893 as shown by the arrow B, and the tip of the table 891 is placed on the placement portion 895 of the right armrest 104R as shown in FIG. 16. A locking mechanism for fixing the table 891 on the placement portion 895 may be provided.

The mounting portion 895 to which the tip of the table 891 is fixed may be configured to be rotatable at a predetermined rotation angle. The mounting portion 895 is connected to the right armrest 804R via a rotation shaft extending in the left-right direction. The mounting portion 895 is rotatable within a predetermined rotation range around the rotation shaft. This allows the table 891 to be tilted to a predetermined angle, so that when the vehicle seat S is reclined, the angle of the table 891 can be adjusted to set a book, a smartphone, or other information terminal in a position that is easy for the occupant to see. This improves the comfort of the vehicle in an autonomous driving state.

[Other embodiments]
Furthermore, the vehicle seat S may take the following forms depending on the driving mode of the vehicle.

For example, an electric motor may be provided that rotates the armrest 104 on the door DR side to position it in use when an autonomous driving mode of autonomous driving level 4 or higher is set and the occupant operates to recline the vehicle seat S. Furthermore, a sub-armrest stored within the armrest 104 may be configured to slide forward so that the area of the upper surface of the left and right armrests 104 on which the occupant's arms can be placed is expanded.

In the level 2 or level 3 autonomous driving mode, the driver takes his/her hands off the steering wheel SW, but needs to keep his/her hands near the steering wheel SW so that the steering wheel SW can be operated immediately in an emergency, etc., which can be a burden to the driver. Therefore, when a predetermined autonomous driving mode is set, an auxiliary armrest that supports the upper arm (the part between the shoulder joint and the elbow joint) of the occupant seated in the driver's seat S1 from below may be provided on the vehicle seat S. As the auxiliary armrest, for example, a rotating auxiliary armrest that is rotatably provided on the bank portion 115 can be adopted. When the manual driving mode is set, the rotating auxiliary armrest is stored in a position that does not touch the driver. When the driving mode of the vehicle is switched from the manual driving mode to a predetermined level of autonomous driving mode, the rotating auxiliary armrest is rotated to a support position that supports the occupant's upper arm from below. According to this configuration, in the predetermined level of autonomous driving mode, the upper arm can be supported by the auxiliary armrest, so that the driver's fatigue can be reduced. Drivers can also easily operate information terminals such as smartphones, improving comfort.

The configuration of the auxiliary armrest is not limited to the above-mentioned rotating auxiliary armrest. For example, an inflatable expansion section may be provided in a part of the bank section 115, and this expansion section may be used as the auxiliary armrest. When the driving mode of the vehicle is set to the manual driving mode, the expansion section is in a contracted state, and when the driving mode is switched to a predetermined level of automatic driving mode, the inflatable auxiliary armrest expands, and the expansion section supports the driver's upper arm from below. In this case, the driver's fatigue can also be reduced.

In addition, the armrest 104 may be configured to be rotatable by an electric motor or the like, and an auxiliary armrest may be provided at the tip of the armrest 104, which is rotatably attached by an electric motor or the like. This auxiliary armrest is positioned to extend forward from the tip of the armrest 104 when the vehicle's driving mode is set to a manual driving mode. When the vehicle's driving mode is set to an automated driving mode of level 3 or higher, for example, the armrest 104 is moved to a stored state by the electric motor or the like, and the auxiliary armrest is further rotated 90 degrees by the electric motor or the like to support the driver's upper arm from below. In this case as well, the driver's fatigue can be reduced.

An input/output device 50 (FIG. 2) that becomes operable when the autonomous driving mode is set may be provided in the armrest 104. The input/output device 50 is, for example, a trackball, a touch panel, or the like provided on the top or side of the tip of the armrest 104. The input/output device 50 may also be a device equipped with a gesture control function using image data captured by a camera. Furthermore, the input/output device 50 may be equipped with a voice recognition function that controls each part of a specific in-vehicle system 1 by voice.

A lighting unit may be provided in the armrest 104. The lighting unit is controlled to be turned on and off depending on the operation of the armrest 104 and the driving mode of the vehicle. For example, the lighting unit is controlled to blink when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, and notifies the driver that the driving mode is being switched to the manual driving mode. The lighting unit may be configured to blink when the armrest 104 moves to make the driver aware that it is moving, or to move the lighting unit to make the driver aware of the direction of movement. The lighting unit is controlled to illuminate an object such as a book when, for example, an automatic driving mode of level 3 or higher is set. Furthermore, the lighting unit is controlled to be turned on, for example, when an occupant gets on or off the vehicle. It is preferable that the lighting unit is provided so as to be movable so that it can illuminate any location.

The armrest 104 may be configured so that the width of the portion on which the occupant's arms are placed can be changed between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode. For example, when the armrest 104 is in a forward-tilted use state, a predetermined level (e.g., level 4 or higher) of automatic driving mode is set, and the occupant operates to recline the vehicle seat S, the armrest 104 is rotated about 90 degrees around an axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the armrest 104. As a result, the portion that was the side in the manual driving mode is positioned on the top surface, making it possible for the occupant's arms to be placed on it. In other words, by forming the armrest 104 into a vertically elongated rectangular cross-sectional shape so that the width of the side surface of the armrest 104 in the manual driving mode is larger than the width of the top surface, the width of the portion that supports the occupant's arms can be expanded when a predetermined level of automatic driving mode is set. In this way, the width of the portion of the armrest 104 on which the occupant's arms rest can be varied depending on the autonomous driving level and/or reclining operation, thereby improving comfort inside the vehicle.

A display device such as a liquid crystal panel may be provided in the armrest 104. Furthermore, the angle of the display screen of the display device may be changed according to the reclining angle of the vehicle seat S. Information from the camera 16 (FIG. 2), for example, is input to the display device via a harness routed inside the armrest 104, and the display device can display, for example, an image of the rear of the vehicle. This allows the occupant to check the situation behind the vehicle on the display screen of the display device in the armrest 104 when the vehicle is in an autonomous driving state.

An in-vehicle camera 39 (FIG. 2) may be provided in the armrest 104. In this case, for example, image information of the driver captured by the in-vehicle camera 39 provided in the armrest 104 is output to the in-vehicle situation monitoring ECU 40, which monitors the driver. The armrest 104 may be provided with a holder for holding an information terminal such as a smartphone, or a charger capable of charging the information terminal.

A device capable of adjusting the range of movement may be provided so that the range of movement of the armrest 104 when the automatic driving mode is set is larger than the range of movement of the armrest 104 when the manual driving mode is set. This prevents the armrest 104 from moving unintentionally in the manual driving state, which would interfere with driving, and allows the armrest 104 to be moved to any position in the automatic driving state, improving comfort.

In the embodiment described above, in which armrests 104 are provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle seat S, the armrest 104 on the door DR side may be an obstacle when the occupant gets in and out of the vehicle. For this reason, the armrest 104 may be rotated so that the tip of the armrest 104 is positioned outside the vehicle in conjunction with the operation of the door DR opening/closing switch, thereby ensuring a path for the occupant to get in and out of the vehicle. In this case, it is preferable to flash or light the lighting unit provided at the tip of the armrest 104 to notify the driver of the other vehicle behind that the door DR has been opened or closed and the armrest 104 is protruding outside the vehicle. The armrest 104 is arranged to extend laterally from inside the vehicle to the outside, so that the occupant can hold on to it when getting in and out of the vehicle. In other words, the armrest 104 can be used as a support member when the occupant gets in and out of the vehicle.

The distance between the left and right armrests 104 may be changed depending on the driving mode of the vehicle. For example, the distance between the left and right armrests 104 when the autonomous driving mode is set is made larger than when the manual driving mode is set. This improves comfort in the autonomous driving mode. In this case, when switching from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode, the left and right armrests 104 move closer to the driver's torso, and the distance between the left and right armrests 104 becomes smaller. The driver's arms are moved inward by the movement of the left and right armrests 104, so that the driver can intuitively recognize that the driving mode is switched to manual driving mode.

The operating range of the airbag installed in the vehicle may be changed between the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode. For example, the operating range of the airbag may be enlarged in the automatic driving mode compared to the manual driving mode. This allows the occupant to be appropriately protected when the driver's seat S1 is reclined in the automatic driving mode. When switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, the armrest 104 may be moved to guide the driver's arms to the steering wheel SW.

In the above embodiment, a vehicle seat has been described as an example of a vehicle seat, but the present invention can be applied to vehicle seats in various vehicles other than vehicles that can be equipped with an airbag.

The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, as long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired. It is also possible to arbitrarily combine one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, and it is also possible to combine modifications together.

101: seat cushion, 102: seat back, 104: armrest, 107: airbag storage section (storage section), 170: airbag module, 171: airbag, 115: bank section, 108: breaking section, 241: mounting section, 243: connecting section, 550: sliding movement device (moving device), 650: rotating device (moving device), 750: moving mechanism, 104c: escape section

Claims (7)

A vehicle seat provided in a vehicle,
A seat cushion that supports the buttocks of an occupant;
a seat back that stands upright from a rear end of the seat cushion and supports a back of an occupant;
An armrest provided at a side end of the seat back in a seat width direction to support an occupant's arm;
a table provided at a front end of the armrest and supported rotatably about a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction;
an airbag module having an airbag;
a housing portion provided behind the armrest and at a side end portion of the seat back in a seat width direction, the housing portion housing the airbag module;
The seat back has bank portions protruding forward on both sides in a seat width direction,
The armrest and the storage portion are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction at an outer end portion of the seat back,
the housing portion has a breaking portion that breaks when the airbag of the airbag module inflates from the housing portion,
The breaking portion is formed in the up-down direction at an outer end and a front end of the storage portion in the sheet width direction,
The airbag is configured to be able to be deployed forward of the bank portion when deployed ,
The vehicle seat , wherein the table is rotatably provided around the rotation axis between a vertical position and a horizontal position . The vehicle seat according to claim 1,
A vehicle seat characterized in that the armrest and the storage portion are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction at the outer end of the seat back so that their outer surfaces in the seat width direction are positioned on the same plane. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle seat, wherein the table is provided in the vehicle and has a curved portion that curves along a steering wheel disposed in front of the vehicle seat. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The armrests are provided at both ends of the seat back in a seat width direction,
The table has a base end portion rotatably supported on a front end portion of one armrest and a tip end portion that can be placed on the front end portion of the other armrest,
The vehicle seat further comprises a locking mechanism for fixing a tip end of the table to a front end of the other armrest. The vehicle seat according to claim 4,
The table is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a width direction,
The armrest on the other side has a placement portion on which a tip end of the table can be placed,
The vehicle seat, wherein the support portion is configured to be rotatable at a predetermined rotation angle around a rotation axis extending in a width direction. The vehicle seat according to claim 5,
The vehicle seat, wherein the placement portion is configured to be storable inside the armrest on the other side. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The vehicle seat further comprises a rotation mechanism provided below the seat cushion and rotatable about a rotation axis extending in a vertical direction.

Images