JP7627622B2 - Vehicle seat device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat device.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle seat device equipped with a lifter mechanism. The lifter mechanism includes a pinion gear rotatably supported on a side frame provided on the seat cushion, and a sector gear that meshes with the pinion gear. When the sector gear is rotated by the pinion gear, the seat cushion is raised and lowered relative to the vehicle floor surface.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 04-115937

When a large force is applied to the side frame on which the pinion gear is supported due to a vehicle collision or the like, the side frame may become deformed. The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement in terms of suppressing deformation of the side frame on which the pinion gear is supported due to a vehicle collision or the like.

In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle seat device that can prevent significant deformation of the side frame that supports the pinion gear that meshes with the sector gear.

The vehicle seat device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises a side frame which is a skeletal member of a seat cushion of a seat mounted in a vehicle, a pinion gear rotatably supported by the side frame, and a sector gear which meshes with the pinion gear and is rotated relative to the side frame by the pinion gear, thereby raising and lowering the side frame and the seat cushion relative to the body of the vehicle, wherein a protrusion which is located closest to the sector gear on the side frame and faces at least a part of the sector gear in the vehicle width direction is provided on the lower edge of the side frame, a lower flange which protrudes toward the sector gear side is provided on the lower edge of the side frame, and the protrusion which protrudes toward the sector gear side further than other portions of the lower flange is provided on a part of the lower flange .

When a collision or the like occurs in a vehicle equipped with the vehicle seat device according to claim 1, a large force may be applied to the side frame on which the pinion gear is rotatably supported. In this case, the lower edge of the side frame may be deformed so as to approach the sector gear. In this case, a protrusion provided on the lower edge of the side frame and facing at least a part of the sector gear in the vehicle width direction contacts the sector gear to restrict further deformation of the side frame. Furthermore, when a protrusion is provided on the lower edge of the side frame, the amount of deformation of the side frame when the protrusion contacts the sector gear is likely to be smaller than when a protrusion is provided on a portion above the lower edge of the side frame. Therefore, the vehicle seat device according to claim 1 can prevent large deformation of the side frame supporting the pinion gear that meshes with the sector gear.

Furthermore, since the deformation of the side frame is small, the movement of the pinion gear in the direction away from the sector gear is likely to be small. Therefore, the vehicle seat device according to the first aspect of the present invention is likely to maintain the meshing state between the pinion gear and the sector gear even if the side frame is deformed.
Furthermore, the protrusion of the vehicle seat apparatus according to the first aspect is provided on a part of the lower flange. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the protrusion is high. Therefore, the vehicle seat apparatus according to the first aspect can easily prevent the side frame from being significantly deformed by the protrusion.

The vehicle seat device of the invention described in claim 2 is the vehicle seat device described in claim 1, wherein the protrusion faces at least a portion of the sector gear in the vehicle width direction regardless of the relative rotation position of the sector gear with respect to the side frame.

The protrusion of the vehicle seat device according to the second aspect faces at least a part of the sector gear in the vehicle width direction regardless of the relative rotation position of the sector gear with respect to the side frame. Therefore, the vehicle seat device according to the second aspect can prevent significant deformation of the side frame supporting the pinion gear meshing with the sector gear regardless of the rotation position of the sector gear.

The vehicle seat device according to the invention recited in claim 3 is the vehicle seat device recited in claim 1 or 2 , wherein the protrusion is located directly below the pinion gear when the seat is viewed in the width direction of the seat.

The protrusion of the vehicle seat device according to the third aspect is located directly below the pinion gear when the seat is viewed in the width direction of the seat. Therefore, when the protrusion comes into contact with the sector gear, the deformation of the portion of the side frame that supports the pinion gear tends to be smaller than when the protrusion is not located directly below the pinion gear. Therefore, the vehicle seat device according to the third aspect makes it easier to maintain the meshing state between the pinion gear and the sector gear.

As described above, the vehicle seat device according to the present invention makes it possible to prevent significant deformation of the side frame that supports the pinion gear that meshes with the sector gear.

2 is a perspective view showing a framework member and a lifter mechanism of a seat cushion of the vehicle seat device according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the right side frame and lifter mechanism shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rear portion of the right side frame shown in FIG. 2 . 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrows IV-IV in FIG. 2. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 2 when a collision occurs in a vehicle equipped with the vehicle seat device shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2 when a collision occurs in a vehicle equipped with the vehicle seat device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a comparative example.

The vehicle seat device 10 (hereinafter referred to as the seat device 10) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 7. Note that the arrow FR shown as appropriate in each figure indicates the front direction of the vehicle, the arrow UP indicates the upward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow LH indicates the left side in the left-right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction). In the following description, when the directions "front-rear," "left-right," and "up-down" are simply used, they refer to front-rear in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, left-right in the left-right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction), and up-down in the up-down direction of the vehicle.

The seat device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is installed in the passenger compartment of a vehicle (not shown). The seat device 10 includes a seat cushion and a seat back whose lower end is rotatably connected to the rear end of the seat cushion. The seat cushion has a pair of left and right side frames 12, a rear frame 30, and a front frame 32 as metal frame members. A pair of left and right lower rails (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction are fixed to the floor surface (vehicle body) of the passenger compartment, and left and right upper rails (not shown) are slidably supported on each lower rail. Furthermore, the lower rail and the upper rail are provided with a slide lock mechanism that allows or restricts the sliding movement of the upper rail relative to the lower rail. Furthermore, left and right base members (not shown) are fixed to the upper parts of the left and right upper rails, respectively.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the rear end of the right side frame 12 is provided with a connection part 14 to which the lower end of the seat back is connected. A flange 16 that protrudes toward the left is provided on the peripheral edge of the right side frame 12 except for the connection part 14. A lower flange 18 that is part of the flange 16 is provided on the lower edge of the right side frame 12. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, part of the lower flange 18 is provided with a protrusion 20 that protrudes more to the left than the rest of the lower flange 18. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the protrusion 20 is provided on the lower flange 18 over the range indicated by the arrow L.

The right side frame 12 has a bulge 22 located inward of the flange 16 and protruding to the left at a portion located forward of the connection portion 14. As shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 24 is formed at the rear of the bulge 22, penetrating the bulge 22 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a connection hole 26 is formed at the rear end of the right side frame 12. As shown in FIG. 1, a connection hole 28 is formed at the front end of the right side frame 12. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the protrusion 20 protrudes to the left from the bulge 22. The protrusion 20 is located at the leftmost portion (sector gear 50 side) of the right side frame 12. The left-right dimension of the portion of the protrusion 20 protruding to the left from the bulge 22 is PA (see FIG. 4). The protrusion 20 is the portion of the right side frame 12 that protrudes the most to the left.

The configuration of the left side frame 12 is substantially the same as that of the right side frame 12. However, the left side frame 12 does not have the protrusion 20 and the through hole 24.

The rear frame 30 is inserted near both ends into the connection holes 26 of the left and right side frames 12. The rear frame 30 can rotate around its own axis relative to the side frames 12. Furthermore, the rear frame 30 cannot move relative to the side frames 12 in the axial direction of the rear frame 30.

The front frame 32 has its ends near the connection holes 28 in the left and right side frames 12. The front frame 32 has its ends near the connection holes 28 in the left and right side frames 12.

The seat device 10 includes a lifter mechanism 40. The lifter mechanism 40 includes a rear link 42, a front link 44, a sector gear 50, a drive unit 60, a retainer bracket 68, a bolt 72, a nut 74, and a fixing member 76.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper end of the rear link 42 is fixed near the left end of the rear frame 30. The rear link 42 is located to the right of the left side frame 12. The upper ends of the left and right front links 44 are rotatably supported near both ends of the front frame 32. The left and right front links 44 are located between the left and right side frames 12. The lower end of the rear link 42 and the lower ends of the left and right front links 44 are located below the lower flanges 18 of the side frames 12.

A metal sector gear 50 is fixed near the right end of the rear frame 30. The sector gear 50 has a through hole 52, a link portion 54, and a gear portion 56. Furthermore, an arc hole 58 is formed as a through hole in the sector gear 50. The rear frame 30 passes through the through hole 52, and the peripheral portion of the through hole 52 is fixed to the rear frame 30. The gear portion 56 and the arc hole 58 are in an arc shape centered on the through hole 52. The lower end of the link portion 54 is located below the lower flange 18 of the side frame 12. The lower end of the right front link 44 and the lower end of the link portion 54 are connected to the right base member so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. The lower end of the left front link 44 and the lower end of the rear link 42 are connected to the left base member so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the drive unit 60 has a main body 62 and a metal pinion gear 64. The axis of the pinion gear 64 extends in the left-right direction. The pinion gear 64 can rotate around its own axis relative to the main body 62. The pinion gear 64 has a tip portion 64A, which is its left end portion, and a gear portion 64B adjacent to the tip portion 64A and having a larger diameter than the tip portion 64A. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive unit 60 is supported by the right side frame 12. More specifically, the main body 62 is fixed to the right side surface of the bulging portion 22, and the tip portion 64A and the gear portion 64B of the pinion gear 64 pass through the through hole 24 and are located to the left of the bulging portion 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower flange 18 of the right side frame 12 is located below the pinion gear 64 in a side view. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 20 is located directly below the pinion gear 64 in a side view. Furthermore, an operating handle (not shown) located to the right of the right side frame 12 is connected to the drive unit 60.

When the operating handle is rotated upward, the pinion gear 64 rotates in the forward direction, and the sector gear 50 meshing with the pinion gear 64 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2. This increases the amount of downward protrusion of the link part 54 from the lower flange 18 of the side frame 12 in side view. When the operating handle is rotated to the upper limit position, the link part 54 rotates to the first rotation position indicated by the symbol 54U in FIG. 2. When the operating handle is rotated downward, the pinion gear 64 rotates in the reverse direction, and the sector gear 50 meshing with the pinion gear 64 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2. This reduces the amount of downward protrusion of the link part 54 from the lower flange 18 of the side frame 12 in side view. When the operating handle is rotated to the lower limit position, the link part 54 rotates to the second rotation position indicated by the symbol 54D in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, when the link portion 54 is in any position between the first rotation position and the second rotation position, the protrusion 20 of the right side frame 12 faces at least a portion of the sector gear 50 in the left-right direction (horizontal direction).

A metal retainer bracket 68 is located to the left of the bulging portion 22 of the right side frame 12. The front end of the retainer bracket 68 is in contact with the left side surface of the bulging portion 22. The front end of the retainer bracket 68 is fixed to the bulging portion 22 by two bolts 72 that pass through the bulging portion 22 and two nuts 74 that are screwed onto the left ends of the bolts 72. In a plan view, the rear end of the retainer bracket 68 is located to the left of the front. Therefore, the rear end of the retainer bracket 68 is separated to the left from the left side surface of the bulging portion 22. The left end of a fixing member 76 extending in the left-right direction is fixed to the rear end of the retainer bracket 68. The fixing member 76 passes through the arc hole 58 of the sector gear 50. Furthermore, the right end of the fixing member 76 is fixed to the rear end of the bulging portion 22. That is, a portion of the sector gear 50, including the gear portion 56, is located between the bulge 22 of the right side frame 12 and the retainer bracket 68. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, the tip 64A of the pinion gear 64 passes through a through hole 68A formed in the retainer bracket 68. Furthermore, a bulge 68B that protrudes to the right is formed near the rear end of the retainer bracket 68.

(Action and Effects)
Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

For example, when the link portion 54 of the sector gear 50 is in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, rotating the link portion 54 to the second rotation position (54D) using the operating handle causes the rear link 42 fixed to the rear frame 30 to rotate clockwise. Furthermore, the left and right front links 44 fixed to the front frame 32 also rotate clockwise. As a result, the left and right side frames 12 and the seat cushion move downward relative to the left and right base members. When the operating handle is rotated to the lower limit position, the left and right side frames 12 and the seat cushion move to the lower end position where they are closest to the left and right base members.

For example, when the link portion 54 of the sector gear 50 is in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, rotating the link portion 54 to the first rotation position (54U) using the operating handle causes the rear link 42 fixed to the rear frame 30 to rotate counterclockwise. Furthermore, the left and right front links 44 fixed to the front frame 32 also rotate counterclockwise. As a result, the seat cushion moves upward relative to the left and right base members. When the operating handle is rotated to the upper limit position, the seat cushion moves to the upper end position where it is furthest from the left and right base members.

However, when another vehicle collides from behind with the rear of a vehicle equipped with the seat device 10, the collision causes an occupant seated in the seat device 10 to apply a rearward external force to the seat back, and this external force may be transmitted from the seat back to the right side frame 12. The rear end of the right side frame 12 is connected to the left side frame 12 via the rear frame 30. Therefore, at this time, the rear end of the right side frame 12 is hardly deformed. On the other hand, the part of the right side frame 12 located forward of the rear frame 30 is easily deformed by the above-mentioned external force transmitted from the seat back. For example, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, this external force may cause the right side frame 12 to deform so as to tilt laterally relative to the vertical direction. That is, the side frame 12 may deform so that the lower flange 18 of the side frame 12 approaches the sector gear 50 and the upper edge of the side frame 12 moves to the right. At this time, the drive unit 60 supported by the side frame 12 and the retainer bracket 68 fixed to the bulge 22 by the bolts 72, nuts 74, and fixing members 76 tilt to the side together with the side frame 12.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper edge of the bulge 68B, which is inclined to the side, comes into contact with the sector gear 50 from the left side. Therefore, the bulge 68B restricts the sector gear 50 from moving leftward relative to the right side frame 12 and the drive unit 60.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the right side frame 12 is tilted to the side by the angle θ, the protrusion 20 of the side frame 12 comes into contact with the link portion 54 of the sector gear 50 from the right side. Therefore, further deformation (tilt) of the right side frame 12 is restricted. This angle θ is a small angle. That is, the deformation (tilt) of the right side frame 12 is restricted by a small amount. Furthermore, since the protrusion 20 is provided on the lower flange 18, the mechanical strength of the protrusion 20 is high. Therefore, compared with a case in which the mechanical strength of the protrusion 20 is low, the protrusion 20 can reliably restrict the deformation of the side frame 12 when it comes into contact with the link portion 54 of the sector gear 50. Therefore, the seat device 10 of this embodiment can prevent the right side frame 12 supporting the pinion gear 64 meshing with the sector gear 50 from being significantly deformed when a collision or the like occurs in the vehicle.

Figure 7 shows a comparative example of the present invention. In this comparative example, a protrusion 20A is provided on the left side surface of the bulge 22 of the right side frame 12, protruding to the left from the bulge 22 by a left-right dimension PA. In this case, when a collision occurs with the vehicle, when the right side frame 12 tilts to the side by an angle θ1, the protrusion 20A of the side frame 12 comes into contact with the link portion 54 of the sector gear 50 from the right side.

6 and 7, the angle θ is smaller than the angle θ1. That is, when the protrusion 20 is provided on the lower edge of the side frame 12, it is possible to suppress the deformation amount of the side frame 12 to a smaller amount than when the protrusion 20A is provided above the lower edge of the side frame 12. In other words, when the protrusion 20 is provided on the lower edge of the side frame 12, it is highly likely that the movement amount of the pinion gear 64 (gear portion 64B) in the direction away from the sector gear 50 (gear portion 56) will be smaller than when the protrusion 20A is provided above the lower edge of the side frame 12. Furthermore, when the seat is viewed in the width direction of the seat, the protrusion 20 is located directly below the pinion gear 64. Therefore, the deformation amount of the part of the side frame 12 where the pinion gear 64 is provided and its surrounding area when the protrusion 20 contacts the sector gear 50 is likely to be smaller than when the protrusion 20 is not located directly below the pinion gear 64. In other words, the amount of movement of the pinion gear 64 away from the sector gear 50 is likely to be smaller than when the protrusion 20 is not located directly below the pinion gear 64. Therefore, when a collision or the like occurs with the vehicle, there is a high possibility that the meshing state between the gear portion 64B of the pinion gear 64 supported by the side frame 12 and the gear portion 56 of the sector gear 50 will be maintained.

Furthermore, the protrusion 20 is provided on the side frame 12. Therefore, the seat device 10 of this embodiment has a smaller number of parts than when the protrusion 20 is provided on a member (not shown) separate from the side frame 12 located to the right of the sector gear 50.

Furthermore, when the link portion 54 is located at any position between the first rotation position and the second rotation position, the protrusion 20 of the side frame 12 faces at least a part of the sector gear 50 in the left-right direction (horizontal direction). Therefore, the seat device 10 of this embodiment can prevent the right side frame 12, which supports the pinion gear 64 that meshes with the sector gear 50, from being significantly deformed, regardless of the rotation position of the sector gear 50.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

For example, the protrusion 20 may be formed on the side frame 12 over the range indicated by the arrow L1 in FIG. 2. In this case, the front end of the protrusion 20 is located forward of the front end of the link portion 54 located in the second rotation position, and the rear end of the protrusion 20 is located rearward of the rear end of the link portion 54 located in the first rotation position. In other words, when the link portion 54 is located in any position between the first rotation position and the second rotation position, the protrusion 20 faces the sector gear 50 in the left-right direction, and the portion of the lower flange 18 other than the protrusion 20 does not face the sector gear 50 in the left-right direction. According to this modified example, it is easier to prevent the right side frame 12 from being significantly deformed compared to the above embodiment.

The left side frame 12 may be provided with a protrusion 20 that protrudes toward the right. In this case, the drive unit 60 is provided on the left side frame 12, and a sector gear 50 that meshes with the gear portion 64B is fixed to the left end of the rear frame 30.

10 Vehicle seat device (seat device)
12 Side frame 18 Lower flange 20 Projection 50 Sector gear 64 Pinion gear

Claims (3)

A side frame which is a framework member of a seat cushion of a seat mounted in a vehicle;
a pinion gear rotatably supported by the side frame;
a sector gear that meshes with the pinion gear and is rotated relative to the side frame by the pinion gear, thereby lifting and lowering the side frame and the seat cushion relative to a body of the vehicle;
Equipped with
a protrusion located closest to the sector gear in the side frame and facing at least a part of the sector gear in the vehicle width direction is provided on a lower edge of the side frame,
A lower flange protruding toward the sector gear is provided at a lower edge of the side frame,
The vehicle seat apparatus , wherein the protrusion is provided on a part of the lower flange, the protrusion protruding further toward the sector gear than other portions of the lower flange . 2. The vehicle seat device according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion faces at least a portion of the sector gear in the vehicle width direction regardless of the relative rotation position of the sector gear with respect to the side frame. 3. The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is located immediately below the pinion gear when the seat is viewed in a width direction of the seat .