JP7662937B2 - Vehicle seats - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and in particular to a vehicle seat equipped with a lumbar support that supports the lower back of a seated occupant.

Vehicle seats equipped with lumbar support devices, such as lumbar support devices, that support the lumbar region of a person seated in the vehicle seat are known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a structure in which a Doppler biosensor is disposed inside the seatback pad between the lower end of the lumbar support device and the seating surface of the seatback so as not to come into contact with a plastic panel when the lumbar support device is activated, i.e., when the plastic panel is deflected, in a vehicle seat equipped with a lumbar support device.

JP 2019-199100 A

In the vehicle seat configuration of Patent Document 1, the position of the sensor is limited to the lower end of the seat back, which may be disadvantageous in terms of appropriate detection of biological information. In addition, because the sensor is disposed in the seat back pad, the influence of the hardness of the seating surface of the seat back pad cannot be avoided.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle seat that is capable of detecting biometric information appropriately using sensors while ensuring freedom in sensor layout, even when equipped with a lumbar support.

The above problem is solved by the vehicle seat of the present invention, which provides a vehicle seat having a seat back, the seat back comprising a seat back frame forming the skeleton of the seat back, a lumbar support arranged on the seat back frame and supporting the lower back of a seated occupant, and a sensor for detecting the condition of the seated occupant, the lumbar support having a plate member which is a flat resin panel extending in the width direction of the vehicle seat, an adjustment mechanism being arranged on a back surface of the plate member for adjusting the position of the lumbar support in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle seat, and the sensor being arranged on the back surface of the plate member in a position avoiding the adjustment mechanism.

In the vehicle seat of the present invention configured as described above, the sensor can be placed on the back of the lumbar support equipped with an adjustment mechanism, allowing the sensor to appropriately detect biometric information while ensuring freedom in sensor layout.

In the vehicle seat described above, the adjustment mechanism may extend along a width direction of the vehicle seat, and the sensor may be disposed above or below the adjustment mechanism .
In the above configuration, the sensor is disposed while appropriately avoiding the adjustment mechanism extending in the seat width direction, and it is possible for the sensor to appropriately detect biological information.

In the above vehicle seat, it is preferable that a wire member that connects to the seat back frame is connected to the adjustment mechanism, and the sensor is disposed at a position avoiding the wire member.
In the above configuration, the sensor is positioned while appropriately avoiding the wire member connected to the adjustment mechanism, and it is possible for the sensor to appropriately detect biological information.

In the vehicle seat described above, the plate member may have a lattice rib on a rear surface thereof, and the sensor may be disposed at a position avoiding the lattice rib.
In the above configuration, the sensor is disposed on the rear surface of the plate member while avoiding the lattice-like ribs, and the sensor can appropriately detect biological information.

In the vehicle seat described above, the plate member may have a recess that is thinner than a surrounding area, and the sensor may be attached to the recess.
In the above configuration, by disposing the sensor in the recess of the plate member, the sensor is stably disposed, and it becomes possible for the sensor to appropriately detect biological information.

In the above vehicle seat, the sensor may be disposed on the plate member at a position shifted outward from the center in a width direction of the seat .
In the above configuration, since the area around the spine of the seated person's body is concave, it is possible for the sensor to detect biometric information on the left or right side of the back of the seated person's body, which is always in contact with the seating surface.

In the vehicle seat described above, it is preferable that a wiring member connected to a component different from the sensor is disposed rearward of the sensor and on the opposite side to the sensor in the width direction of the vehicle seat.
In the above configuration, the wiring member connected to a component other than the sensor is prevented from affecting the sensor.

In the above-mentioned vehicle seat, the sensor includes an irradiation unit that emits radio waves, a receiving unit that receives the radio waves reflected from the seated occupant, and a housing that contains the irradiation unit and the receiving unit, and in the vertical direction of the vehicle seat, the irradiation unit and the receiving unit are preferably positioned above the adjustment mechanism.
In the above configuration, the irradiating unit and the receiving unit are disposed so as to avoid the adjustment mechanism, so that the biological information can be appropriately detected by the sensor.

The above-mentioned vehicle seat may include a headrest supporting the head of the seated occupant, a seat cushion supporting the buttocks of the seated occupant, a seat cushion frame forming the skeleton of the seat cushion, a slide rail arranged at the lower part of the seat cushion frame, a pad member placed on the seat back frame and the seat cushion frame, and a trim cover covering the pad member.
With the above configuration, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat equipped with a sensor and a lumbar support.

According to the vehicle seat of the present invention, the sensor can be placed on the back of the lumbar support equipped with an adjustment mechanism, making it possible to appropriately detect biometric information by the sensor while ensuring freedom in sensor layout.
Furthermore, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, the sensor can be positioned while appropriately avoiding the adjustment mechanism extending in the seat width direction, making it possible for the sensor to appropriately detect biological information.
Furthermore, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, the sensor can be positioned while appropriately avoiding the wire member connected to the adjustment mechanism, making it possible to appropriately detect biological information by the sensor.
Furthermore, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, the sensor is disposed on the rear surface of the plate member while avoiding the lattice-like ribs, and the sensor can appropriately detect biological information.
Furthermore, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, the sensor is disposed in the recess of the plate member, so that the sensor is stably disposed, and it becomes possible for the sensor to appropriately detect biological information.
In addition, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, since the area around the spine of the seated occupant's body is concave, it is possible to detect biometric information by a sensor on the left or right side of the back, which is always in contact with the seating surface.
Furthermore, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, the wiring members connected to a component other than the sensor are prevented from affecting the sensor.
Furthermore, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, the irradiation unit and the receiving unit are disposed so as to avoid the adjustment mechanism, so that the biological information can be appropriately detected by the sensor.
Furthermore, according to the vehicle seat of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat equipped with a sensor and a lumbar support.

1 is an external view of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a front perspective view of a seat frame included in the vehicle seat; FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the plate portion of the lumbar support.

Hereinafter, a vehicle seat according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, this embodiment) will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. As the vehicle seat according to this embodiment, a vehicle seat mounted in a vehicle will be described as an example.

The embodiment described below is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the shape, dimensions, arrangement, etc. of the components described below may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents.

In this specification, the terms indicating directions are defined as shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, in the following description, the "front-rear direction" refers to the front-rear direction as seen by a person (occupant) sitting in the vehicle seat, and is the direction that coincides with the direction in which the vehicle travels. The "seat width direction" refers to the width direction of the vehicle seat, and coincides with the left-right direction as seen by a person sitting in the vehicle seat. Additionally, the "up-down direction" refers to the height direction of the vehicle seat, and coincides with the up-down direction as seen from the front of the vehicle seat.

[1. Vehicle seat S]
The vehicle seat S according to the present embodiment has an appearance as shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, a part of the vehicle seat S is shown with a trim cover removed for convenience of illustration. The vehicle seat S has as its main components a seat back S1 which is a backrest portion supporting the back of a seated occupant, a seat cushion S2 which is a seating portion supporting the buttocks of the seated occupant, and a headrest S3 which is disposed on the upper part of the seat back S1 and supports the head of the seated occupant. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle seat S has a seat frame F as a skeleton, the main components of which are a seat back frame F1 and a seat cushion frame F2.

The seat back S1 is constructed by placing a seat back pad S11 on a seat back frame F1, which is then covered with a trim cover S12. The seat cushion S2 is constructed by placing a seat cushion pad S21 on the seat cushion frame F2, which serves as the framework, which is then covered with a trim cover S22. The headrest S3 is formed by placing a headrest pad S31 on a core material (not shown) and covering it with a trim cover S32. The seat back pad S11 of the seat back S1 and the seat cushion pad S21 of the seat cushion S2 are urethane base materials molded by foam molding using urethane foam material.

The seat cushion frame F2 is connected to the upper rail RU of the slide rail device R located below it. With this configuration, when the upper rail RU moves along the lower rail RL fixed to the vehicle floor, the entire vehicle seat S, including the seat cushion frame F2, slides.

In this embodiment, the seat cushion frame F2 is connected to the upper rail RU via a pivot link XL as shown in FIG. 2. The pivot links XL are link members disposed on both sides of the seat cushion S2 in the width direction, and pivot around a pivot axis along the width direction. The pivot links XL rotate together with the seat cushion S2, thereby adjusting the position of the seat cushion S2 in the vertical direction.

The lower end of the seatback frame F1 is connected to the rear end of the seat cushion frame F2 via a reclining device 80 as a movable mechanism. The reclining device 80 connects the seatback S1, including the seatback frame F1, to the seat cushion S2 in a state in which the angle of inclination of the seatback S1 relative to the seat cushion S2 can be adjusted. In other words, the seatback S1 can rotate relative to the seat cushion S2 around a reclining shaft 81 along the width direction.

[2. Seat back frame F1]
The configuration of the seat back frame F1 of the vehicle seat S will be described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. As shown in Figure 2, the seat back frame F1 has a rectangular shape when the seat frame F is viewed from the front.

The structure of the seatback frame F1 will be described. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the seatback frame F1 has a pair of side frames 10 provided at both ends in the seat width direction. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the seatback frame F1 also has an upper frame 11 that is attached to the upper ends of the side frames 10 to connect the side frames 10. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the seatback frame F1 also has a lower member frame 12 that is attached to the lower ends of the side frames 10 to connect the side frames 10. Furthermore, an S-spring 15 that supports the back of the seated occupant from behind is installed between the side frames 10.

The upper frame 11 is a part formed into a downward U-shape when viewed from the front, and is made of a hollow metal pipe member. However, this is not limited to this, and the upper frame 11 may be made of a solid member. Both free ends of the upper frame 11 are joined to the tops of the left and right side frames 10, respectively. A square cylindrical pillar guide 11a that supports a headrest pillar is attached to the front of the horizontal portion of the upper frame 11 that is located at the top. A pair of pillar guides 11a are provided with a gap in the width direction.

Next, the side frame 10 has a spindle-shaped external shape when viewed from the side. That is, when the side frame 10 is viewed from the side, the front end of the side frame 10 bulges out in an arc shape from the midpoint in the vertical direction. When the vehicle seat S is in use (more precisely, when the seat back S1 is in the reference position), the side frame 10 extends long in a direction that is slightly tilted (tilted backward) relative to the vertical direction.

Next, the lower member frame 12 will be described. The lower member frame 12 is constructed by processing sheet metal, and is installed between the lower ends of the side frames 10. In addition, the upper and lower edges of the lower member frame 12 are each formed with a shape that has been bent forward.

The connecting frame 13 extends along the seat width direction and connects the extensions 11b of the upper frame 11 together. The connecting frame 13 is made of a metal plate shaped into a predetermined shape.

[3. Features of the seat frame F]
A lumbar support 50 (lumbar support device, lumbar support member) is provided on the seat back frame F1 of this embodiment. The lumbar support 50 is composed of a plate member 51, which is a resin panel, an adjustment mechanism 70 incorporating an electromagnetic motor (not shown), and a wire member 71. The plate member 51 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape from an elastically deformable resin. The plate member 51 is provided below the S-spring 15. The plate member 51 is provided at a position that supports the lumbar region of the seated occupant, as shown in FIG. 2.

The plate member 51 is disposed in a position extending in the seat width direction and in front of the wire member 71 that serves as a support wire. When the adjustment mechanism 70 is activated, the wire member 71 is bent so as to protrude forward, and the plate member 51 elastically bends forward at the center.

This structure allows the lumbar support 50 to change the support position of the seated occupant's lower back. Specifically, when the electromagnetic motor of the adjustment mechanism 70 is not operating, the wire member 71 is not pulled, and the plate member 51 is in a flat state without bending, as shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, when the electromagnetic motor of the adjustment mechanism 70 is operating, the wire member 71 is pulled, and the plate member 51 bends forward at the center.

At this time, the bent plate member 51 also bends the seat back pad S11 forward, and the bent seat back pad S11 pushes the lumbar region of the seated person from the rear to the front. This changes the support position of the lumbar region of the seated person. In other words, the amount of bending (the amount of protrusion forward) of the plate member 51 changes depending on the amount of operation of the electromagnetic motor, and the support position of the lumbar region of the seated person can be changed as desired. This allows the lumbar region of the seated person to be properly supported.

The seat back S1 on which the lumbar support 50 is disposed also has a sensor 60, which is a Doppler biosensor. The sensor 60 is a sensor that detects the bioinformation of the seated occupant. The bioinformation of the seated occupant is information indicating the heart rate, pulse rate, pulse amplitude, respiratory rate, and respiratory amplitude. In other words, the sensor 60 is a biosensor that can detect the heart rate and breathing of the seated occupant.

More specifically, the sensor 60 is composed of an irradiation unit 61 that irradiates radio waves, a receiving unit 62 that receives the radio waves, and a resin housing 63 that contains the irradiation unit 61 and the receiving unit 62. The radio waves irradiated by the receiving unit 62 may be of a frequency that is reflected by the skin surface of a living body, but it is usually preferable that they are microwaves.

As described above, the sensor 60 disposed inside the seat back pad S11 irradiates radio waves from the irradiation unit 61 toward the seating surface of the seat back S1. At this time, the radio waves irradiated by the irradiation unit 61 are reflected by the skin surface of the seated person, and the reflected radio waves are received by the receiving unit 62. Because the skin surface of the seated person moves minutely due to the heartbeat and breathing, the frequency of the radio waves irradiated by the irradiation unit 61 differs from the frequency of the radio waves received by the receiving unit 62. Therefore, based on the difference between the frequency of the radio waves irradiated by the irradiation unit 61 and the frequency of the radio waves received by the receiving unit 62, the biological information of the seated person, i.e., the respiratory rate, heart rate, etc., is detected. In other words, the Doppler effect is used to detect the biological information of the seated person.

As described above, the sensor 60 detects the biological information of the seated occupant based on minute movements of the skin surface of the seated occupant, so its placement position is limited. In detail, the sensor 60 has a resin housing and a predetermined hardness, so that it is not exposed to the seating surface of the seatback pad S11 in order to prevent the occupant from feeling uncomfortable when seated. For this reason, the sensor 60 is placed on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51 so as not to be exposed to the seating surface of the seatback pad S11.

Specifically, the lumbar support 50 has a flat plate member 51 that extends in the seat width direction, and an adjustment mechanism 70 that adjusts the position of the lumbar support 50 in the front-to-rear direction is disposed on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51, and the sensor 60 is disposed in an upper position on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51, avoiding the adjustment mechanism 70.

In the vehicle seat S of this embodiment configured in this manner, the sensor 60 can be placed on the back surface of the lumbar support 50 equipped with the adjustment mechanism 70 (specifically, on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51), allowing the sensor 60 to appropriately detect biometric information while ensuring freedom in the layout of the sensor 60.

The adjustment mechanism 70 extends along the seat width direction, and the sensor 60 is preferably positioned above or below the adjustment mechanism 70. In the illustrated example, the sensor 60 is positioned above the adjustment mechanism 70. With this configuration, the sensor 60 can be positioned while appropriately avoiding the adjustment mechanism 70 that extends in the seat width direction, and the sensor 60 can appropriately detect biometric information.

In addition, a wire member 71 that connects to the side frame 10 of the seatback frame F1 is connected to the adjustment mechanism 70, and the sensor 60 is positioned to avoid the wire member 71. Specifically, the sensor 60 is positioned above the wire member 71 in the vertical direction. With this configuration, the sensor 60 is positioned while appropriately avoiding the wire member 71 connected to the adjustment mechanism 70, and it is possible for the sensor 60 to appropriately detect biological information.

The plate member 51 has lattice ribs 52 on the back surface 51a, and the sensor 60 is positioned to avoid the lattice ribs 52 (Fig. 3). Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the sensor 60 is positioned to avoid the protruding portion of the lattice ribs 52 that protrude rearward from the back surface 51a of the plate member 51. With this configuration, the sensor 60 is positioned on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51 while avoiding the lattice ribs 52, and it becomes possible for the sensor 60 to appropriately detect biometric information.

The plate member 51 also has a recess 53 that is thinner in the front-to-rear direction than the surrounding area, and the sensor 60 is attached to this recess 53 (Figures 3 and 4). With this configuration, the sensor 60 is placed in the recess 53 formed in the back surface 51a of the plate member 51, so that the sensor 60 is stably placed and can appropriately detect biometric information.

The sensor 60 is also positioned eccentrically from the center on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51 (Figure 4). With this configuration, the area around the spine of the seated person's body is recessed, so the sensor 60 can detect biometric information on the left or right side of the back of the seated person's body, which is always in contact with the seating surface.

In addition, a wiring member (not shown) such as a harness connected to a component (electrical component) other than the sensor 60 may be disposed rearward of the sensor 60 and on the opposite side of the sensor 60 in the seat width direction. This configuration prevents the wiring member connected to a component other than the sensor 60 from affecting the sensor 60.

The sensor 60 also includes an irradiation unit 61 that irradiates radio waves, a receiving unit 62 that receives radio waves reflected from a seated occupant, and a housing 63 that contains the irradiation unit 61 and the receiving unit 62, and the irradiation unit 61 and the receiving unit 62 are disposed above the adjustment mechanism 70 in the vertical direction (Fig. 4). With this configuration, the irradiation unit 61 and the receiving unit 62 are disposed at an appropriate height while avoiding the adjustment mechanism 70, allowing the sensor 60 to appropriately detect biological information.

The vehicle seat S of this embodiment also includes a headrest S3 that supports the head of a seated occupant, a seat cushion S2 that supports the buttocks of the seated occupant, a seat cushion frame F2 that forms the framework of the seat cushion S2, a slide rail device R arranged at the bottom of the seat cushion frame F2, a seat back pad S11 placed on the seat back frame F1, a seat cushion pad S21 placed on the seat cushion frame F2, a trim cover S12 that covers the seat back pad S11, and a trim cover S22 that covers the seat cushion pad S21. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat S that includes a sensor 60 and a lumbar support 50.

<Modification>
Although the configuration of the vehicle seat S according to this embodiment has been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and of course, the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

In the above embodiment, the sensor 60 was positioned at an upper position on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51, avoiding the adjustment mechanism 70, but the sensor 60 may be positioned at a lower position on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51, avoiding the adjustment mechanism 70.

In the above embodiment, the sensor 60 was positioned slightly off-center to the left of the center on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51, but the sensor 60 may be positioned slightly off-center to the right of the center on the back surface 51a of the plate member 51.

The vehicle seat according to this embodiment has been described above using an example of a vehicle seat mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle seat according to this embodiment is not limited to a vehicle seat mounted on a ground-traveling vehicle having wheels, such as an automobile or train, but may also be a seat mounted on an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle that travels other than on the ground.

S Vehicle seats (vehicle seats)
S1 Seat back S11 Seat back pad (pad member)
S12 Trim cover (skin material)
S2 Seat cushion S21 Seat cushion pad (pad member)
S22 trim cover (skin material)
S3 Headrest S31 Headrest pad (pad member)
S32 trim cover (skin material)
R Slide rail device (slide rail)
RU Upper rail RL Lower rail XL Rotating link F Seat frame F1 Seat back frame F2 Seat cushion frame 10 Side frame 11 Upper frame 11a Pillar guide 11b Extension portion 12 Lower member frame 13 Connecting frame 15 S-spring 50 Lumbar support 51 Plate member 51a Back surface 52 Lattice-shaped rib 53 Recess 60 Sensor 61 Irradiation portion 62 Reception portion 63 Housing 70 Adjustment mechanism 71 Wire member 80 Reclining device 81 Reclining shaft

Claims (9)

A vehicle seat having a seat back,
The seat back is
A seat back frame that constitutes a framework of the seat back;
A lumbar support is disposed on the seat back frame and supports a lower back of a seated occupant;
A sensor for detecting the state of the seated occupant,
The lumbar support has a plate member which is a flat resin panel extending in a width direction of the vehicle seat,
an adjustment mechanism for adjusting a position of the lumbar support in a front-rear direction of the vehicle seat is disposed on a rear surface of the plate member;
The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed on a rear surface of the plate member at a position away from the adjustment mechanism. The adjustment mechanism extends along a width direction of the vehicle seat,
2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed above or below the adjustment mechanism . A wire member that is connected to the seat back frame is connected to the adjustment mechanism,
3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed at a position avoiding the wire member. The plate member has a lattice-shaped rib on a back surface,
4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed at a position avoiding the lattice-shaped rib. The plate member has a recess having a thickness smaller than a surrounding area,
5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is attached to the recess. 6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed at a position on the plate member that is shifted outward from a center in a width direction of the seat . The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a wiring member connected to a component other than the sensor is disposed rearward of the sensor and on the opposite side of the sensor in the width direction of the vehicle seat. The sensor includes an irradiation unit that irradiates radio waves, a receiving unit that receives the radio waves reflected from the seated occupant, and a housing that contains the irradiation unit and the receiving unit,
7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the irradiating unit and the receiving unit are disposed above the adjustment mechanism in a vertical direction of the vehicle seat. A headrest for supporting the head of the seated occupant;
A seat cushion that supports the buttocks of the seated occupant;
A seat cushion frame that constitutes a skeleton of the seat cushion;
A slide rail disposed at a lower portion of the seat cushion frame;
a pad member placed on the seat back frame and the seat cushion frame;
9. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising: a trim cover that covers the pad member.