JP7531986B2 - Rod attachment structure for vehicle seat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rod attachment structure for a vehicle seat that is used when a desired rod is rotatably attached to a vehicle seat installed in a vehicle such as an automobile.

An example of a structure for attaching a rod to a vehicle seat is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233996.
This structure allows the seat back to be folded forward so that the rear seat, which is a vehicle seat installed in a vehicle, can achieve a so-called trunk-through. The seat back is normally locked in an upright position, and by releasing the lock, it can be set to a forward-folding position, connecting the passenger compartment area in front of the rear seat with the trunk room, which is the area behind the rear seat.
In the rod mounting structure for a vehicle seat described above, a pair of locking mechanisms for locking the seat back of the rear seat in an upright position are provided on both the left and right sides of the seat back, and these pair of locking mechanisms are connected via a rod so that they work in conjunction with each other.

However, there is room for improvement in the above-mentioned conventional technology, as described below.

Although the detailed mounting structure of the rod is omitted in Patent Document 1, the rod must be properly mounted at a predetermined position on the rear seat using a suitable bracket. In this case, the rod must be able to rotate smoothly around its center line. For this reason, a bush is interposed between the bracket and the rod.
When constructing the above-mentioned configuration, if there is any rattling in the bush or rod relative to the bracket, a rattling noise will occur. In particular, if the bracket is made of metal, a loud noise due to a so-called metal touch will occur. Therefore, it is desirable to appropriately prevent this from happening. On the other hand, simply clamping the bush tightly with the bracket in order to eliminate the rattling will make it difficult to rotate the rod smoothly. This will deteriorate the operability when releasing the locked state of the seat back.

JP 2000-142192 A

The present invention was conceived in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its objective is to provide a rod attachment structure for a vehicle seat that can adequately prevent rattling of the bushes and rod while allowing the rod to rotate smoothly when attaching the rod to the vehicle seat via a bracket and bush.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

The rod attachment structure to a vehicle seat provided by the present invention comprises a rod that is attached to the vehicle seat using a bracket and is set rotatable around a center line extending in the longitudinal direction, and a bush that is interposed between the rod and the bracket.
This is a rod mounting structure for a vehicle seat, wherein the bush has a bush rattle suppression portion that is set in a state where it abuts against both the bracket and the vehicle seat and is sandwiched between them, and a rod holding portion that is offset in the longitudinal direction from the bush rattle suppression portion and that, when viewed in a longitudinal cross-section of the rod, surrounds an area that exceeds half of the outer circumferential surface of the rod to hold the rod, while the portion closer to the vehicle seat is open and is set in a state where it does not abut against the vehicle seat.

According to this configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, the bush is prevented from rattling against the bracket and the vehicle seat by the presence of a predetermined bush rattle suppression portion, and the rod is held in a predetermined rod holding portion of the bush, thereby preventing rattling against the bush. Therefore, both the bush and the rod are appropriately prevented from rattling against the bracket and the vehicle seat when the vehicle is running, and abnormal noises (rattle noises) can be prevented.
In particular, since the rod holding portion is offset from the bush rattle suppression portion in the longitudinal direction of the rod, the state in which the rod holding portion holds the rod is not easily affected by the bush rattle suppression portion, and the rod can be maintained in a state in which it rotates smoothly around its center line. For example, even if the bush rattle suppression portion is strongly pressed by the bracket and significantly compressed and deformed when the bush and the rod are attached, the rod holding portion is a portion that is not easily affected, and it is possible to prevent the smoothness of the rotation of the rod from being significantly deteriorated. In addition, the portion of the rod holding portion that is closer to the vehicle seat is set in a state of not abutting the vehicle seat, so that it is not deformed due to abutting the vehicle seat and the smoothness of the rotation of the rod is not significantly reduced.
In this way, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by rattling of the bush or rod while ensuring smooth rotation of the rod.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the rod holding portion of the bush holds the rod in a manner that surrounds more than half of the rod's outer peripheral surface, thereby enabling the rod to be securely held, while the portion closer to the vehicle seat is open, making it easy to incorporate the rod into the rod holding portion by utilizing this opening, resulting in good overall assembly workability.
In addition, when a large load is applied to the rod and the rod is significantly deformed (flexed), the presence of the opening in the rod holding portion makes it possible to tolerate the deformation. This is preferable for obtaining an appropriate vibration suppression function when, for example, the rod has a long overall length and there is a risk of the deformation amount (amplitude) becoming large.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a main portion showing an example of a rod mounting structure for a vehicle seat according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic perspective view of a main portion of FIG. 1 . 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIa-IIIa in FIG. 2, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIb-IIIb in FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view of the bush shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a schematic front view of the bush shown in FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of a main portion showing a comparison with the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a schematic perspective view of a bush used in the configuration shown in FIG.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The vehicle seat rod attachment structure A shown in Figure 1 is equipped with a bench seat type rear seat S as a vehicle seat installed in the passenger compartment of a vehicle such as an automobile, and a seat lock interlocking rod 1 is attached to this rear seat S using a bracket 2 and a bush 3.

The basic structure of the rear seat S is similar to that of a conventional bench seat, and includes a seat cushion 4, a seat back 5, and a pair of left and right locking mechanisms 6 for the seat back.

The seat back 5 includes a frame-shaped seat back frame 50 made of multiple metal pipes 50a and reinforcing plates 50b, and a seat back panel 51 made of metal or resin that is joined to the seat back frame 50. Although simplified in the drawings, the seat back 5 also includes a seat back pad 52 (only a portion of which is shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 1) that is covered with a skin material, and the seat back frame 50 is embedded inside the seat back pad 52.

The seat back 5 can rotate in the direction of the arrow Na around a rotation shaft 59 provided at the base (lower part) of the seat back 5, and can be freely switched between the upright position shown in FIG. 1 and a forward-leaning position rotated from the upright position so that it overlaps with the seat cushion 4. A rear floor panel 90 that forms the floor of the luggage compartment is provided on the rear side of the rear seat S, and by leaning the seat back 5 forward, a so-called trunk-through is realized.

The pair of locking mechanisms 6 are mechanisms for maintaining the seat back 5 in a predetermined upright position when the seat back 5 is in the upright position, and are provided at both ends of the seat back 5 in the left and right width direction. Each locking mechanism 6 has a groove 60 set so that the striker 7 can enter when the seat back 5 is in the upright position, and an engagement member (not shown) that engages with the striker 7 when the striker 7 enters the groove 60, thereby maintaining the seat back 5 fixed. The striker 7 is, for example, a substantially U-shaped member that protrudes from a side wall 91 of the passenger compartment into the passenger compartment.

The rod 1 is a member for connecting the pair of locking mechanism parts 6 to each other and interlocking them. It is made of, for example, a round pipe material, and is set in a state in which it extends in the left and right width direction of the seat back 5, and can rotate around a center line C1 extending in the longitudinal direction of the rod 1. Each locking mechanism part 6 includes an operating lever 61 attached near both ends in the longitudinal direction of the rod 1. When the seat back 5 is set in an upright position and in a locked state in which the engagement member is engaged with the striker 7, the locked state is released when the operating lever 61 is operated upward as indicated by the arrow Nb. The operating levers 61 are provided in a pair on the left and right, and are connected to each other via a common rod 1, so that when one of the pair of operating levers 61 is operated upward, the other also operates in the same way, and the locked states of both of the pair of locking mechanism parts 6 are released.

The bracket 2 is a member for attaching the rod 1 to the rear seat S, and is made of, for example, metal. As can be seen clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the bracket 2 has an attachment object holding portion 20 and a pair of upper and lower base portions 21. The attachment object holding portion 20 is a portion for holding the rod 1 and the bush 3, and its side cross-sectional shape is a horizontal U-shape, with a semicircular arc-shaped portion 20a at the tip.

The pair of upper and lower base parts 21 are generally flat plate-shaped parts connected to the base end of the mounting object holding part 20, and are fixed to the seat back panel 51 using bolts 92. However, this is not limited, and other means such as welding may be used for fixing. Also, the mounting object of the bracket 2 is not limited to the seat back panel 51, and other parts of the rear seat S can be used as the mounting object. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, a total of three brackets 2 are used to support both ends and the approximate center of the rod 1 in the longitudinal direction, but this is not limited, and it is sufficient that at least one point of the rod 1 is supported.

The bush 3 is a member that is interposed between the mounting target holding portion 20 of the bracket 2 and the rod 1 to prevent vibration and ensure smooth rotation of the rod 1, and is made of, for example, resin. The overall basic shape of this bush 3 is roughly C-shaped in cross section, and as shown in Figure 4, it has a rod holding portion 3a, a pair of bush rattle suppression portions 3b, and a pair of flange portions 3c.

The pair of flanges 3c are located at both ends of the bush 3 in the axial direction (the vehicle width direction in FIG. 4(b), which corresponds to an example of the "longitudinal direction" of the rod in the present invention), and as shown in FIG. 2, when the bush 3 is incorporated into the attachment target holding portion 20 of the bracket 2, the attachment target holding portion 20 is sandwiched between the pair of flanges 3c. This prevents the bush 3 from being displaced in the axial direction relative to the bracket 2.

The pair of bush rattle suppression parts 3b are arranged at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the bush 3. As shown in FIG. 3(b), each bush rattle suppression part 3b has a semicircular cross-section part 30 interposed between the semicircular cross-section part 20a of the bracket 2 and the outer circumferential surface of the rod 1, and a pair of upper and lower legs 31 that extend from the upper and lower parts of the semicircular cross-section part 30 toward the seat back panel 51 and abut against the seat back panel 51. When the bush 3 is assembled in the bracket 2, the bush rattle suppression part 3b is sandwiched between the semicircular cross-section part 20a of the bracket 2 and the seat back panel 51, thereby fixing the bush 3.

The inner surface of the bush 3 is provided with a convex portion 32 that partially abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the rod 1 and extends in the axial direction of the bush 3. The bush rattle suppression portion 3b abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the rod 1 at the position of the convex portion 32, but other portions do not abut against the outer peripheral surface of the rod 1 or the abutment area is small. Therefore, the bush rattle suppression portion 3b can be configured not to impair the smooth rotation of the rod 1.

The rod holding portion 3a is located at the approximate center of the axial direction of the bush 3, and is provided in a state separated from the bush rattle suppressing portion 3b via a slit portion 94, as shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the rod holding portion 3a has an approximate C-shaped cross section, and is interposed between the semicircular arc-shaped cross section portion 20a of the bracket 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the rod 1, and holds the rod 1 so as to surround an area exceeding half of the outer peripheral surface of the rod 1. In addition, the portion of the rod holding portion 3a near the seat back panel 51 is configured to be open. More specifically, an opening 34 is formed between a pair of upper and lower tip portions 33 near the seat back panel 51 of the rod holding portion 3a. The pair of tip portions 33 do not abut against the seat back panel 51. In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the rod 1 does not abut against the seat back panel 51, and a gap 95 of an appropriate width La is formed between them.
An additional convex portion 32a that partially abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the rod 1 is provided on the inside of the pair of tip portions 33. This reduces the contact area between the outer circumferential surface of the rod 1 and the rod embracing portion 3a.

Next, we will explain the function of the rod attachment structure A for the vehicle seat.

First, as described above, the rod 1 is attached to the seat back panel 51 via the bush 3 and bracket 2, but the bush 3 is fixed in a manner sandwiched between the bracket 2 and the seat back panel 51 with the bush rattle suppression portion 3b abutting both of them. Therefore, the bush 3 does not rattle against the bracket 2 or the seat back panel 51. In addition, the rod 1 is held by the rod holding portion 3a of the bush 3, so it does not rattle against the bush 3. As a result, it is possible to prevent both or either of the bush 3 and rod 1 from rattling when the vehicle is running, and to appropriately suppress the occurrence of collision noises (rattle noises) with the bracket 2 or the seat back panel 51.

Meanwhile, the rod 1 is held by the rod holding portion 3a of the bush 3, but this rod holding portion 3a is misaligned in the axial direction of the bush 3 (the longitudinal direction of the rod 1) from the bush rattle suppression portion 3b, and is separated by a slit portion 94. As a result, the shape of the rod holding portion 3a is not deformed or is only slightly deformed due to the influence of the degree of compressive deformation of the bush rattle suppression portion 3b, and the rod 1 can be appropriately maintained in a state in which it rotates smoothly around its center line C1. Smooth rotation of the rod 1 improves operability when operating the operating lever 61 to release the locked state of the seat back 5.

FIG. 5 shows a comparative example with the rod attachment structure A according to the present embodiment described above (components corresponding to those in this embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in this embodiment).
The bushing 3E used in this comparative example does not have a portion corresponding to the rod embracing portion 3a described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. This bushing 3E has a configuration in which a pair of upper and lower legs 31e extend from a cross-sectionally semicircular portion 30, and these legs 31e abut against the seat back panel 51. Also, a convex portion 32b that abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the rod 1 is provided on the inner surface of the middle portion of the leg 31e, and the rod 1 is embraced at the middle portion and the base end side of the leg 31e.

In the bush 3E of this comparative example, a portion where the tip of the leg 31e abuts against the seat back panel 51 to suppress rattling of the bush 3E and a portion where the rod 1 is rotatably held are provided together at the same location in the axial direction of the bush 3E, and these two portions are not provided in a form that is divided in the axial direction. Therefore, in this comparative example, when the leg 31e abuts against the seat back panel 51 with a force stronger than the original abutment force due to dimensional errors or the like and is deformed in the direction of the arrow Nc, the convex portion 32b presses against the outer circumferential surface of the rod 1 with a strong force F. This impairs the smoothness of the rotation of the rod 1. If the tip of the leg 31e is prevented from abutting against the seat back panel 51 in order to avoid this, the leg 31e becomes unstable and there is a risk of rattling.
In contrast, according to the rod mounting structure A of this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately solve the above-mentioned problems that occur in the comparative example.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rod embracing portion 3a of the bush 3 embraces the rod 1 in a state in which it surrounds more than half of the outer circumferential surface of the rod 1, so that it is possible to securely hold the rod 1. On the other hand, since the portion close to the seat back panel 51 has an opening 34, the work of fitting the rod 1 into the rod embracing portion 3a can be easily performed by utilizing the opening 34, and the workability is good.
In addition, when a large load that causes a large bending deformation of the rod 1 occurs, it is possible to dissipate the load by deforming or displacing a portion of the rod 1 from the opening 34 of the rod embracing portion 3a toward the seat back panel 51. Since the rod 1 has a length dimension that is approximately equal to the left-right width dimension of the rear seat S, it is inherently prone to vibration, but in this embodiment, it is possible to obtain an excellent vibration suppression function.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the rod attachment structure for a vehicle seat according to the present invention can be freely designed and modified in various ways within the intended scope of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the rod intended by the present invention is intended to be applied to a seat lock interlocking rod, but the present invention is not limited to this. Various rods can be applied as long as they are attached to a vehicle seat using a bracket and are set to be rotatable around a center line extending in the longitudinal direction. For example, a rod can be applied that has an operating lever attached to one end and an appropriate operating member attached to the other end, and that rotates when the operating lever is operated, causing the operating member to perform a predetermined operation.

The rod is not limited to being attached to the seat back, but may be attached to, for example, a seat cushion via a bracket. The vehicle seat referred to in the present invention is not limited to a bench seat type rear seat, but may be any other type of rear seat, or a vehicle seat other than a rear seat (such as a front seat).
Therefore, the bracket for attaching the rod to the vehicle seat may be attached to a portion of the vehicle seat other than the seat back panel.
Furthermore, the specific shape, material, size, number, etc. of the brackets are not limited.

The bush in the present invention may be configured to have at least one bush rattle suppression portion and one rod embracing portion. The bush rattle suppression portion is a portion that is set to be sandwiched between the bracket and the vehicle seat (such as a seat back panel) so as to abut against both of them. The rod embracing portion is a portion that is offset from the bush rattle suppression portion in the longitudinal direction of the rod, and that, in a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rod, embraces the rod so as to surround an area that exceeds half of the outer circumferential surface of the rod, while leaving an open portion near the vehicle seat and being set to be in a non-abutting state against the vehicle seat.
Although it is preferable to provide a slit between the rod embracing portion and the bush rattle suppressing portion as in the above embodiment, the slit does not have to be provided. The specific shape, material, size, etc. of each part of the bush are not limited.

A Rod attachment structure for vehicle seat S Rear seat (vehicle seat)
1 Rod 2 Bracket 3 Bush 3a Rod holding portion 3b Bush rattle suppressing portion 51 Seat back panel (of a vehicle seat)

Claims (1)

A rod that is attached to the vehicle seat using a bracket and is set to be rotatable around a center line extending in a longitudinal direction;
a bushing interposed between the rod and the bracket;
A rod mounting structure for a vehicle seat, comprising:
The bushing is
a bush rattle suppression portion that is set in a state where it is sandwiched between the bracket and the vehicle seat so as to abut against both of them;
The bush rattle suppression portion is a rod holding portion that is provided at a position offset in the longitudinal direction, and that, in a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rod, holds the rod so as to surround an area exceeding half of the outer circumferential surface of the rod, while leaving an opening near the vehicle seat and not abutting the vehicle seat;
A rod mounting structure for a vehicle seat, comprising:

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