JP7609838B2 - Child seat mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a protective structure for a child seat mounting portion that is provided with a striker for mounting a child seat to a mounting bar installed inside the vehicle cabin.

As described in Patent Document 1, in the mounting section of an ISO-FIX compatible child seat, a cross member extending in the vehicle width direction is arranged on the floor panel, the middle part of the cross member is connected and fixed to a support bracket that supports the seat cushion or seat back fixed to the floor panel, and a striker is provided on the cross member. The mounting legs protruding rearward from the child seat are engaged with the striker, and the child seat is attached to the seat.

JP 2002-46517 A

For aesthetic reasons, the strikers for fastening child seats are usually placed in a location that is difficult to see. As a result, when the child seat mounting legs are inserted through the opening in the seat, there is a risk that they may be inserted in a position that is misaligned with the striker, and the mounting legs will not engage with the striker. In this case, the mounting legs are inserted all the way in, leading to the mistaken belief that the child seat is completely installed even though they are not engaged with the striker. In addition, because electrical components such as the seat-related harness connector are installed near the striker, if the mounting legs are inserted in a misaligned position, they may come into contact with the electrical components and cause damage.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a protective structure for a child seat mounting part that can prevent the mounting legs of the child seat from being inserted too far into a position that is misaligned with the striker.

In this invention, a striker that engages the mounting legs of a child seat is provided on a mounting bar installed in the vehicle cabin, and at the child seat mounting section where the electrical components are located below the striker, a protective cover that protects the electrical components from the mounting legs of the inserted child seat is attached to the mounting bar, and the protective cover is integrally formed from an engagement portion that engages with the mounting bar, a shielding portion that covers the electrical components, and a fitting portion that fits into the striker to position the protective cover.

If the mounting leg is inserted out of place, it will not come into contact with the striker, but rather with the shielding section, and will not be inserted any further. This prevents the mounting leg from coming into contact with electrical components below.

According to the present invention, even if the child seat mounting legs are inserted out of alignment with the striker, they can be prevented from coming into contact with electrical components, thereby protecting the electrical components.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a mounting portion of a child seat disposed behind a rear seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; Diagram showing the protective structure of the child seat mounting part Diagram showing child seat installed in rear seat Diagram showing protective cover attached to mounting bar Diagram showing child seat mounting points and protective covers FIG. 13 shows a protective cover attached to a mounting bar according to another embodiment.

The mounting portion of a child seat according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 to 3. The child seat 1 is mounted to a rear seat 5 that is installed in the vehicle cabin and is composed of a seat cushion 2, a seat back 3, and a headrest 4. The mounting portion 6 of the child seat 1 that is compatible with ISO-FIX is located behind the rear seat 5 and has a mounting bar 7 provided on the floor panel and a striker 9 that engages a mounting leg 8 of the child seat 1. The striker 9 is fixed to the mounting bar 7, and electrical components 10 are disposed below the striker 9.

A metal pipe mounting bar 7 extending in the vehicle width direction is installed at the lower rear of the seat back 3, and its left and right ends are supported by support brackets 11 fixed to the floor panel. A number of sheet metal strikers 9 are attached to the mounting bar 7 by welding. Four strikers 9 are attached at a specified interval, resulting in two pairs of left and right strikers 9. The strikers 9 protrude forward, with their front ends facing the gap 12 formed between the seat back 3 and the seat cushion 2.

The electrical component 10 below the striker 9 is a harness connector for a seat belt reminder. Note that the electrical component 10 is not limited to this harness connector, and may be a battery harness connector, etc.

A pair of left and right mounting legs 8 protrude rearward from the rear of the child seat 1. When the child seat 1 is placed on the rear seat 5, the mounting legs 8 are inserted into the gap 12 and engage with the front end of the striker 9.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a protective cover 20 is attached to the mounting bar 7 as a protective structure for the mounting portion 6 of the child seat 1 against the inserted mounting legs 8, and protects the electrical components 10 from the inserted mounting legs 8. The resin protective cover 20 is integrally formed with an engagement portion 21 that engages with the mounting bar 7, a shielding portion 22 that covers the electrical components 10, and a fitting portion 23 that fits into the striker 9 to position the protective cover 20.

The engagement portion 21 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape that extends in the vehicle width direction to match the external shape of the mounting bar 7, and is hollowed out to reduce weight. The protective cover 20 is attached to the mounting bar 7 by fitting and engaging the engagement portion 21 into the mounting bar 7. Ribs 24 are formed on both ends of the engagement portion 21 in the vehicle width direction, making it difficult for the semi-cylindrical engagement portion 21 to open and preventing the engagement portion 21 from coming off the mounting bar 7.

The shielding portion 22 is formed to protrude forward from the engaging portion 21, and the front side is bent downward. The shielding portion 22 is positioned toward the outer side of the engaging portion 21 in the vehicle width direction according to the position of the electrical component 10. The inner part of the engaging portion 21 faces the striker 9.

The fitting portion 23 has a U-shaped cross section so that it can be inserted into the outer side edge of the striker 9, protrudes forward from the center of the engagement portion 21 in the vehicle width direction, and is formed so as to rise from the inner side edge of the shielding portion 22. In this way, the shielding portion 22 and the fitting portion 23 are integrally formed with the engagement portion 21, so that the rigidity around the engagement portion 21 can be sufficiently ensured. Furthermore, because the fitting portion 23 is provided in the center of the engagement portion 21 in the vehicle width direction, a stable engagement force can be ensured, and the protective cover 20 is less likely to shift due to external disturbances.

When attaching the protective cover 20, the engaging portion 21 is fitted into the mounting bar 7 while the fitting portion 23 is inserted to align with the side edge of the striker 9. The fitting portion 23 fits into the side edge of the striker 9, positioning the protective cover 20 and preventing the engaging portion 21 from rotating. The fitting portion 23 covers the side edge of the striker 9, which is made of sheet metal, hiding burrs and edges of the sheet metal and eliminating any adverse effects on other objects.

In addition, a shielding portion 22 is positioned above the electrical component 10, and the electrical component 10 is covered by the shielding portion 22. In this case, if liquid such as water is spilled onto the rear seat 5, it will flow down from the gap 12 to the mounting portion 6, but the liquid will not reach the electrical component 10 covered by the shielding portion 22, preventing the electrical component 10 from getting wet and protecting the electrical component 10.

Next, when attaching the child seat 1 to the rear seat 5, the mounting legs 8 are inserted into the gaps 12 in the rear seat 5. When the mounting legs 8 come into contact with the strikers 9 and are inserted further, the mounting legs 8 are engaged with the strikers 9, and the child seat 1 is attached to the rear seat 5.

When the child seat 1 is placed misaligned on the rear seat 5, the mounting legs 8 are inserted at a position misaligned from the striker 9 and come into contact with the shielding portion 22 of the protective cover 20. Since the mounting legs 8 cannot be inserted any further, it is possible to make the user aware that the mounting legs 8 are not properly engaged, and to encourage the user to reinstall the child seat 1. In particular, since the front side of the shielding portion 22 is bent downward, it is possible to prevent the mounting legs 8 from being inserted toward the electrical component 10, and it is possible to protect the electrical component 10 by preventing the mounting legs 8 from coming into contact with the electrical component 10.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that many modifications and variations can be made to the above embodiment within the scope of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, a protective cover 20 may be provided on both the left and right sides of the striker 9. The left and right protective covers 20 are shaped to be line-symmetrical to each other. Providing two protective covers 20 is a suitable form when multiple electrical components 10 are provided below the striker 9. Here, the separate left and right protective covers 20 may be integrated.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 child seat 5 rear seat 6 mounting portion 7 mounting bar 8 mounting leg 9 striker 10 electrical component 20 protective cover 21 engagement portion 22 shielding portion 23 fitting portion

Claims (1)

A child seat mounting part is provided with a mounting bar installed in a vehicle cabin, a striker for engaging the mounting legs of the child seat, and electrical components are arranged below the striker.
A protective cover for protecting electrical components from the mounting legs of an inserted child seat is attached to the mounting bar, and the protective cover is integrally formed from an engagement portion that engages with the mounting bar, a shielding portion that covers the electrical components, and a fitting portion that is fitted into a striker to position the protective cover.

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