JP7712564B2 - Sheet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seat equipped with an ottoman device.

Conventionally, seats equipped with an ottoman device on which the legs of a user seated on the seat cushion are placed are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the ottoman device described in Patent Document 1, a support portion on which the user's legs are placed is rotatably connected to the seat cushion via a link mechanism driven by an actuator, and when the link mechanism is driven, the support portion moves from a stored position located below the seat cushion to an deployed position located in front of the seat cushion.

JP 2013-248109 A

However, the seat described in Patent Document 1 uses a four-bar link mechanism to move the mounting portion from the stored position to the deployed position, which results in an increased size of the ottoman device.

A seat according to one aspect of the present invention includes a seat cushion on which a user sits, and an ottoman device connected to the seat cushion. The ottoman device includes a placement portion on which the legs of a user seated on the seat cushion are placed, a support portion that supports the placement portion so that the placement portion can move between a first position located below the seat cushion and a second position located in front of the seat cushion, and a pressing portion that applies a pressing force to the placement portion by linear movement so that the placement portion moves from the first position to the second position. The placement portion has a base portion that is connected to the seat cushion so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction, and a movable portion that is supported by the base portion so as to slide along the base portion. The support portion supports the movable portion so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction and slidable in the front-rear direction, and the pressing portion presses the movable portion located at the first position forward to rotate the base portion and the movable portion upward, and slides the movable portion forward along the base portion that has been rotated upward toward the second position. The movable portion is supported by the seat cushion via the support portion.

According to the present invention, the ottoman device provided on the seat can be made smaller.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat including an ottoman device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view of a seat frame that forms the framework of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the ottoman device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ottoman frame that forms the framework of the placement portion of the ottoman device. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the ottoman frame of FIG. 4A viewed from below. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a support portion and a pressing portion of the ottoman device. FIG. 5B is a plan view of the support portion and the pressing portion of FIG. 5A viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a stored state of the ottoman device. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the ottoman device in a deployed state. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a modified example of the ottoman device according to the embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. The seat according to the embodiment of the present invention is a seat equipped with an ottoman device that is configured to be movable between a first position, which is a stored position, and a second position, which is an deployed position, and can be applied to various seats. Below, an example of application of the seat equipped with an ottoman device to a vehicle seat, for example, a car seat, will be described.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat 1 equipped with an ottoman device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are defined as shown in the figure below, and each part will be described according to these definitions. The front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction in Figure 1 respectively correspond to the front-rear direction, width direction, and height direction of the vehicle to which the vehicle seat 1 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 1 includes a seat device 2 on which an occupant sits, and an ottoman device 3 on which the legs of the occupant seated in the seat device 2 are placed. The seat device 2 includes a seat cushion 21 that supports the occupant's buttocks, a seat back 22 that supports the occupant's back, and a headrest 23 that supports the occupant's head.

The seat cushion 21 is provided on a support portion 24 provided in the vehicle cabin, and is configured to be movable on a pair of left and right seat rails 25 (see FIG. 2) provided inside the support portion 24. The support portion 24 is provided, for example, in the rear seat of the vehicle. The seat back 22 is disposed at the rear end of the seat cushion 21, and is configured to be tiltable relative to the seat cushion 21 via a reclining mechanism 26. The seat back 22 also has a center-folding mechanism 27, and is configured to be able to tilt the second seat back portion 22b located above relative to the first seat back portion 22a located below via the center-folding mechanism 27. The headrest 23 is provided at the upper end of the seat back 22 (second seat back portion 22b), and is configured to be able to change its height position relative to the seat back 22 to match the position of the occupant's head.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the seat frame 4 that forms the framework of the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the seat frame 4 has a seat cushion frame 41 that is a frame corresponding to the seat cushion 21, a seat back frame 42 that is a frame corresponding to the seat back 22, and an ottoman frame 50 that is a frame corresponding to the ottoman device 3. The seat cushion frame 41, the seat back frame 42, and the ottoman frame 50 are formed along the outer shapes of the seat cushion 21, the seat back 22, and the mounting portion 5, respectively.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the seat cushion 21 is constructed by attaching a cushion pad 211 made of a cushioning material such as urethane foam to a seat cushion frame 41 that serves as a skeleton, and then covering the outside with a skin material 212 made of synthetic leather or fabric. The cushion pad 211 is supported by the seat cushion frame 41, and functions as a pressure-receiving part that receives a load from the buttocks of the occupant. The cushion pad 211 according to this embodiment has a central part 211a in the left-right direction and side parts 211b on both the left and right sides thereof, and is configured to receive a downward load at the central part 211a and a lateral load at the side parts 211b.

The seat cushion frame 41 has a front frame 411 that extends in the left-right direction and forms the front of the seat cushion frame 41, a pair of left and right side frames 412 that extend in the front-rear direction and form the left and right sides of the seat cushion frame 41, and a rear frame 413 that extends in the left-right direction and forms the rear of the seat cushion frame 41. The front frame 411, the pair of left and right side frames 412, and the rear frame 413 are joined together by welding or the like, and the seat cushion frame 41 is formed as a frame in its entirety.

A number of spring members 414 are provided inside the frame-shaped seat cushion frame 41 so as to span between the front frame 411 and the rear frame 413. The spring members 414 are configured in an elastically deformable bent shape and are formed by bending wires or the like.

A plate-shaped pan frame 415 is provided on the inner front side of the frame-shaped seat cushion frame 41. The pan frame 415 extends in the left-right direction and is integrally joined to the lower ends of the pair of left and right side frames 412 in front of the seat cushion frame 41 by welding or the like. A pivot connection portion (not shown) that connects the ottoman frame 50 to be freely pivotable is provided on the underside of both left-right ends on the front side of the pan frame 415.

The seat cushion frame 41 is also provided within the support portion 24 and slidably engaged with a pair of left and right seat rails 25 that extend in the front-rear direction, allowing the seat cushion 21 to move in the front-rear direction within the vehicle cabin.

The seat back 22 is constructed by attaching a back pad 221 made of a cushioning material to a seat back frame 42, which serves as the skeleton, and then covering the outside of the back pad 221 with a skin material 222 made of synthetic leather or fabric. The back pad 221 is supported by the seat back frame 42 and functions as a pressure receiving part that receives the load from the back of the occupant. The back pad 221 according to this embodiment has a central part 221a in the left-right direction and side parts 221b on both the left and right sides of the central part 221a, and is configured to receive rearward loads at the central part 221a and lateral loads at the side parts 221b.

The seatback frame 42 has an upper frame 421 that extends in the left-right direction and constitutes the upper part of the seatback frame 42, a pair of left and right side frames 422 that stand upright in the vertical direction and constitute the left and right sides of the seatback frame 42, and a lower frame 423 that extends in the left-right direction and constitutes the lower part of the seatback frame 42. The upper frame 421, the pair of left and right side frames 422, and the lower frame 423 are joined together by welding or the like, and the seatback frame 42 is formed as a whole in a frame shape.

The pair of left and right side frames 422 each have a first side frame 422a located below and a second side frame 422b located above, and the second side frame 422b is connected to the first side frame 422a via the center-folding mechanism 27 so that it can tilt. The pair of left and right first side frames 422a and the lower frame 423 form the first seat back portion 22a, and the pair of left and right second side frames 422b and the upper frame 421 form the second seat back portion 22b, which can tilt relative to the first seat back portion 22a.

A back panel 424 is disposed inside the frame-shaped seat back frame 42. The back panel 424 is an elastically deformable plate-like member that extends in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is made of resin or the like. The upper end of the back panel 424 is supported by a pair of left and right side frames 422 via a pair of left and right upper connecting wires 425, and the lower end is supported by the lower frame 423 via a lower connecting wire 426.

The lower portion of the seat back frame 42 is connected to the rear end of the seat cushion frame 41 via the reclining mechanism 26 so that the seat back 22 can tilt relative to the seat cushion 21.

The headrest 23 is constructed by attaching a headrest pad 231 made of a cushioning material to a core material that serves as a skeleton, and then covering the outside of that with a skin material 232 made of synthetic leather or fabric. The headrest 23 is attached to the seatback frame 42 by inserting a pair of pipes 233 attached to the core material into support brackets 427 provided on the upper frame 421 of the seatback frame 42.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the ottoman device 3. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the ottoman device 3 is rotatably connected to the underside of the pan frame 415 of the seat cushion frame 41. The ottoman device 3 has a resting portion 5 on which the legs of the occupant are placed, a support portion 6 that supports the resting portion 5 so that the resting portion 5 can move between a stored position (first position) located below the seat cushion 21 and an extended position (second position) located in front of the seat cushion 21, and a pressing portion 7 that applies a pressing force to the resting portion 5 by linear movement so that the resting portion 5 moves from the stored position to the extended position (Figure 1).

The stored position of the support portion 5 refers to a state in which it is located below the seat cushion 21 so as not to interfere with the legs of a user seated on the vehicle seat 1, and includes, for example, a state (posture) in which the support surface faces forward. On the other hand, the deployed state of the support portion 5 refers to a state in which it is located in front of the seat cushion 21 so that the legs of a user seated on the vehicle seat 1 can be placed on it, and includes, for example, a state (posture) in which the support surface faces upward.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the support section 5 is constructed by attaching a pad 51 made of a cushioning material such as urethane foam to the ottoman frame 50, which serves as the framework, and then covering the outside with a skin material 52 made of synthetic leather or fabric. The pad 51 is supported on the upper surface of the ottoman frame 50, which corresponds to the support surface, and functions as a pressure-receiving section that receives the load from the legs of the occupant. The skin material 52 integrally covers the device, including the support section 6 and the pressing section 7, excluding the support bracket 61 described below, in addition to the support section 5.

Figure 4A is a perspective view of the ottoman frame 50, and Figure 4B is a plan view of the ottoman frame 50 of Figure 4A seen from below. As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the ottoman frame 50 includes a base frame (base portion) 53 that is rotatably connected to the pan frame 415, and a movable frame (movable portion) 54 that is slidably supported by the base frame 53.

The base frame 53 has a base end frame 531 that extends in the left-right direction and constitutes the base end of the base frame 53, a pair of left and right side frames 532 that extend in a direction perpendicular to the base end frame 531 and constitute the left and right sides of the base frame 53, and a tip frame 533 that extends in the left-right direction and constitutes the tip of the base frame 53. The base end frame 531, the pair of left and right side frames 532, and the tip frame 533 are joined together by welding or the like, and the entire base frame 53 is formed into a frame shape (lattice shape).

The base frame 531 is provided with a first rotational connection 531a at each of the left and right ends, which is connected to a rotational connection provided on the underside of the pan frame 415 via a rotational shaft (not shown). The rotational connection and the first rotational connection 531a are connected via a rotational shaft extending in the left and right direction, and the base frame 531 is freely rotatable around this rotational shaft. In other words, the base frame 53 is freely rotatable in the up and down direction relative to the pan frame 415 around the rotational shaft extending in the left and right direction.

The movable frame 54 has a frame body 541 formed in a rectangular plate shape and a pair of left and right sliding parts 542 configured to slide freely on each of the pair of left and right side frames 532. The frame body 541 is arranged facing the base frame 53 and is formed in approximately the same shape as the overall shape (frame shape) of the base frame 53. The pad 51 is arranged on the upper surface of the frame body 541. In addition, an opening 543 is formed on the base end side of the frame body 541. The pair of left and right sliding parts 542 are provided at both left and right ends of the frame body 541, respectively, and are attached to the frame body 541 so that the frame body 541 can slide in the extension direction of the pair of left and right side frames 532. In this embodiment, the pair of left and right sliding parts 542 are each formed in an approximately cylindrical shape that can slide on the rod-shaped side frames 532 in the extension direction, and are joined to the frame body 541 via a bracket 544.

Figure 5A is a perspective view of the support portion 6 and the pressing portion 7 of the ottoman device 3, and Figure 5B is a plan view of the support portion 6 and the pressing portion 7 of Figure 5A viewed from above. As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the support portion 6 has a support bracket 61 connected to the underside of the pan frame 415, a pair of left and right guide portions 62 supported by the support bracket 61, and a connecting bracket 63 that connects the pair of left and right guide portions 62 to the movable frame 54.

The support bracket 61 is formed so that the support surface (upper surface) 61a is positioned lower than the lower surface of the pan frame 415 so that the pair of left and right guide parts 62 and the pressing part 7 can be supported on the upper surface. The support surface 61a of the support bracket 61 is also formed approximately parallel to the lower surface of the pan frame 415, so that the pair of left and right guide parts 62 slide in the front-rear direction approximately parallel to the pan frame 415, and the pressing part 7 can apply a pressing force in the front-rear direction to the mounting part 5 approximately parallel to the pan frame 415.

The pair of left and right guide parts 62 are provided at both left and right ends of the support surface 61a of the support bracket 61, respectively, and have a cylindrical part 621 extending in the front-rear direction, and a guide rail 622 formed to be freely slidable inside the cylindrical part 621. The cylindrical part 621 is integrally joined to the support surface 61a of the support bracket 61 by welding or the like, and the guide rail 622, which is longer in the sliding direction than the cylindrical part 621, is housed inside the cylindrical part 621 to be freely slidable.

The connecting bracket 63 is connected to the upper surface of the frame body 541 of the movable frame 54. The connecting bracket 63 has second to fourth pivotal connecting parts 631, 632, 633, which extend toward the opening 543 of the frame body 541. The second and third pivotal connecting parts 631, 632 are provided at both ends in the left-right direction, and the tip parts 622a of the pair of left and right guide rails 622 are connected to the second and third pivotal connecting parts 631, 632 via the opening 543. The second and third pivotal connecting parts 631, 632 and the tip parts 622a of the pair of left and right guide rails 622 are connected to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction.

The pressing unit 7 is provided between a pair of left and right guide units 62 on the support surface 61a of the support bracket 61, and has a drive shaft 71 configured to be able to press the movable frame 54, and an actuator 72 that drives the drive shaft 71. The drive shaft 71 extends in the front-rear direction approximately parallel to the pair of left and right guide units 62, and is supported on the support surface 61a of the support bracket 61 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The tip 71a of the drive shaft 71 is connected to the fourth rotation connecting unit 633 of the connecting bracket 63 via the opening 543 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. The fourth rotation connecting unit 633 of the connecting bracket 63 is provided between the second rotation connecting unit 631 and the third rotation connecting unit 632.

In this embodiment, the actuator 72 is composed of a screw motor. The actuator 72 is supported on the support surface 64a of the support bracket 64 so that the rotation axis extends in the left-right direction, and the actuator 72 and the drive shaft 71 are connected via a gear train 73 that converts the power transmitted from the rotation axis of the actuator 72 into the extension direction of the drive shaft 71.

Next, the operation of the ottoman device 3 provided on the vehicle seat 1 configured as described above when it is displaced from the stored state to the deployed state will be described. Figure 6A is a schematic diagram showing the ottoman device 3 in the stored state, and Figure 6B is a schematic diagram showing the ottoman device 3 in the deployed state.

As shown in FIG. 6A, before the user sits on the vehicle seat 1, the ottoman device 3 is in a stored state. That is, the mounting portion 5 is located in the stored position. In the stored position, no pressing force is applied to the movable frame 54 of the mounting portion 5, and the mounting portion 5 is in a state (posture) in which the sliding direction of the movable frame 54 relative to the base frame 53 is not in the front-to-rear direction. This state does not match the moving direction of the drive shaft 71 of the pressing portion 7 or the sliding direction of the guide rails 622 of each of the pair of left and right guide portions 62.

When a user seated in the vehicle seat 1 turns on the drive switch (not shown) of the ottoman device 3 from this state, the actuator 72 of the pressing unit 7 is activated. When the actuator 72 is activated, a pressing force that tries to move forward acts on the drive shaft 71, and the drive shaft 71 presses the movable frame 54 via the fourth pivot connection part 633 of the connection bracket 63 with a pressing force due to linear movement.

When the drive shaft 71 presses against the movable frame 54 via the connecting bracket 63, the pressing force due to the linear movement of the drive shaft 71 is converted into a rotational force via the second to fourth rotational connecting parts 631, 632, and 633, causing the base frame 53 and the movable frame 54 to rotate upward. When the base frame 53 and the movable frame 54 rotate upward and the sliding direction of the movable frame 54 relative to the base frame 53 becomes the same direction (pushable direction) as the pressing direction due to the linear movement of the drive shaft 71 and the sliding direction of the guide rails 622 of each of the pair of left and right guide parts 62, the rotational force gradually changes into a pressing force, and the movable frame 54 slides forward relative to the base frame 53. In this way, the movable frame 54 of the placement part 5 moves to the deployed position shown in FIG. 6B, and the ottoman device 3 is in the deployed state.

As described above, the base frame 53 and the movable frame 54 are rotated upward by the pressing force generated by the linear movement of the drive shaft 71, and the movable frame 54 is moved to the deployed position, so that the ottoman device 3, excluding the mounting portion 5, can be made smaller.

In addition, at this time, even if the movable frame 54 slides forward relative to the base frame 53, the drive shaft 71 and guide rail 622 also move forward in the same manner, so the device including the placement unit 5, the support unit 6 excluding the support bracket 61, and the pressing unit 7 can be integrally covered with the skin material 52. This eliminates the need to make the skin material 52 longer than necessary, improving the appearance performance. Note that it is advisable to form slits along the movement direction of the skin material 52 at the connection parts between the support bracket 61 or base frame 53 and the pan frame 415.

According to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
(1) A vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment includes a seat cushion 21 on which a user sits, and an ottoman device 3 connected to the seat cushion 21 ( FIG. 1 ). The ottoman device 3 includes a rest portion 5 on which the legs of a user seated on the seat cushion 21 are placed, a support portion 6 that supports the rest portion 5 so that the rest portion 5 can move between a stored position ( FIG. 6A ) located below the seat cushion 21 and an extended position ( FIG. 6B ) located in front of the seat cushion 21, and a pressing portion 7 that applies a pressing force to the rest portion 5 by linear movement so that the rest portion 5 moves from the stored position to the extended position ( FIGS. 3 and 5A ).

This configuration allows the ottoman device 3, excluding the mounting portion 5, to be made smaller without using a large link mechanism such as a four-bar link mechanism. This allows for effective use of the vehicle interior space in which the vehicle seat 1 is installed.

(2) In the above vehicle seat 1, the mounting portion 5 has a base frame 53 connected to the seat cushion 21 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and a movable frame 54 supported by the base frame 53 so as to slide along the base frame 53 (Fig. 3). The support portion 6 supports the movable frame 54 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction and slidable in the front-rear direction (Fig. 5A), and the pressing portion 7 presses the movable frame 54 located in the storage position forward, thereby rotating the base frame 53 and the movable frame 54 upward, and sliding the movable frame 54 forward along the base frame 53 rotated upward toward the deployed position (Figs. 6A and 6B).

With this configuration, the mounting portion 5 can be moved from the stored position to the deployed position simply by applying a pressing force to the movable frame 54 through linear movement, making it possible to miniaturize the ottoman device 3 excluding the mounting portion 5. In addition, the configuration for moving the mounting portion 5 can be configured with a simple mechanism, making maintenance and repairs easy.

(3) In the above vehicle seat 1, the pressing portion 7 has a drive shaft 71 that is supported so as to be linearly movable toward the placement portion 5, and an actuator 72 that drives the drive shaft 71 (FIGS. 5A and 5B). This configuration allows the pressing portion to be constructed with a small number of parts.

The above embodiment can be modified in various ways. Modifications are described below.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the ottoman device 3 according to this embodiment. In the above embodiment, the driving shaft 71 and the actuator 72 are used as the pressing part 7 of the ottoman device 3. However, as shown in Figure 7, instead of these, a cylinder 75 having a cylinder piston 74a and a cylinder tube 74b may be used. For example, a gas damper may be used as the cylinder 75, and the released state of the gas damper may be the deployed state of the mounting part 5, and the compressed state of the gas damper may be locked to set the mounting part 5 in a stored state. To lock the gas damper in a compressed state, a user seated on the seat device 2 may press the mounting part 5 with his/her legs to move it to the stored position and lock it, or a user may manually pull back a cable or the like to move it to the stored position and lock it.

In the above embodiment, a vehicle seat has been described, but the seat may be used in a seat other than a vehicle, for example, a seat for a vehicle such as an aircraft, or may be used in a sofa or massage chair used in a home. In addition, the vehicle seat 1 of this embodiment is preferably used in a rear seat, but in the case of an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle seat 1 may be used in the driver's seat or passenger seat.

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 combine one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications in any desired manner, and it is also possible to combine modifications together.

1 Vehicle seat (seat), 2 Seat device, 3 Ottoman device, 5 Placement part, 6 Support part, 7 Pressing part, 21 Seat cushion, 22 Seat back, 53 Base frame (base part), 54 Movable frame (movable part), 71 Drive shaft, 72 Actuator

Claims (9)

A seat including a seat cushion on which a user sits and an ottoman device connected to the seat cushion,
The ottoman device is
a support portion on which the legs of a user seated on the seat cushion are placed;
a support portion that supports the placement portion so that the placement portion can be moved between a first position that is located below the seat cushion and a second position that is located in front of the seat cushion;
a pressing unit that applies a pressing force to the placement unit by linear movement so that the placement unit moves from the first position to the second position ,
The placement portion has a base portion connected to the seat cushion so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction, and a movable portion supported by the base portion so as to slide along the base portion,
the support portion supports the movable portion so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction and slidable in a front-rear direction,
the pressing portion presses the movable portion located at the first position forward to rotate the base portion and the movable portion upward and slide the movable portion forward along the base portion rotated upward toward the second position;
The seat , wherein the movable portion is supported by the seat cushion via the support portion . The sheet according to claim 1 ,
The seat, wherein the pressing portion includes a drive shaft supported so as to be linearly movable toward the placement portion, and an actuator that drives the drive shaft. The sheet according to claim 1 ,
The seat, wherein the pressing portion includes a cylinder having a cylinder piston and a cylinder tube. The sheet according to claim 1 ,
The seat cushion has a pair of left and right side frames extending in a front-rear direction,
The seat is characterized in that the support portion is supported by a pair of left and right side frames. The sheet according to claim 4,
The seat cushion has a pan frame joined to the pair of left and right side frames,
A seat characterized in that the support portion has a support bracket connected to the underside of the pan frame and a support surface located below the underside of the pan frame. The sheet according to claim 5,
A sheet characterized in that the support surface is arranged approximately parallel to the lower surface of the pan frame. The sheet according to claim 5,
The support portion further includes a pair of left and right guide portions supported by the support bracket,
the pressing unit has a drive shaft supported so as to be linearly movable toward the placement unit, and an actuator that drives the drive shaft;
The seat is characterized in that the actuator is disposed between a pair of left and right guide portions. The sheet according to claim 7,
The seat is characterized in that the actuator is disposed between the pair of left and right guide portions and biased toward one side in the left-right direction. The sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A seat further comprising a seat back provided at a rear end of the seat cushion, a headrest provided at an upper end of the seat back, and a seat rail configured to allow the seat cushion to move in the front-rear direction.