JP7717593B2 - Harness routing structure for sliding seats - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a harness routing structure that supplies power to electrical components built into a sliding seat.

Conventionally, there have been sliding seats that slide in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body, and which allow the seat back to be tilted down and pivoted forward to store the sliding seat in the foot space (see Patent Document 1). Such sliding seats incorporate electrical components such as a seat belt reminder. Therefore, it is necessary to supply power to these electrical components from the vehicle body.

When the sliding seat slides forward or backward, the harness stretching between the vehicle body and the sliding seat deforms as the sliding seat moves. Furthermore, when the sliding seat is stowed in the footwell, the harness also deforms as the sliding seat moves. This can cause localized bending of the harness (bending with a large curvature, i.e., a sharp, sudden bend), which could result in excessive load being applied to the harness.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-066248

The present invention aims to provide a harness routing structure that prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness even when the sliding seat is slid forward and backward or stored in the foot space.

The present invention relates to a harness routing structure that supplies power to electrical components of a sliding seat that has a rail extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body, a link arm attached to a slider that is movable along the rail, and is supported so as to be retractable into the foot space by pivoting the link arm. The structure includes a harness that spans between the vehicle body and the sliding seat, a vehicle body-side holder that is fixed to the vehicle body and holds a base end portion of the harness, a seat-side holder that is fixed to the sliding seat and holds a tip end portion of the harness, and a harness restrictor that is fixed to the sliding seat and restricts the harness path of the harness. The harness restrictor is characterized in that it extends from the vehicle body-side holder to one side in the fore-and-aft direction, then bends back to the other side and bends toward the sliding seat, and is attached to an intermediate portion of the harness that restricts the harness path.

The present invention also includes a harness restricting portion that constitutes the harness routing structure described above. Specifically, the harness restricting portion of a harness routing structure has a rail extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body, a link arm attached to a slider that is movable along the rail, and the pivoting movement of the link arm supplies power to electrical components of a sliding seat that is supported and retractable in the foot space. The harness restricting portion also includes a harness restricting portion that extends from a vehicle body-side holder that holds the base end of the harness that is stretched between the vehicle body and the sliding seat to one side in the fore-and-aft direction, then bent back to the other side and bent toward the sliding seat, and contacts a midway portion of the harness that restricts the harness path.

According to these inventions, even when the sliding seat is slid forward and backward or when the sliding seat is stored in the foot space, an excessive load can be prevented from acting on the harness.
Specifically, in the harness routing structure and harness restraining portion of the present invention, the harness restraining portion extends from the vehicle body-side retaining portion to one side in the fore-and-aft direction, then bends back to the other side and bends toward the sliding seat (or toward the upward direction when the sliding seat is deployed from the footwell) to contact the intermediate portion of the harness leading to the seat-side retaining portion, thereby restraining the harness path. Therefore, deformation (displacement) of the harness is kept small in the intermediate portion of the harness away from both the vehicle body-side retaining portion and the seat-side retaining portion, preventing localized bending of the harness (bending with a large curvature, i.e., a sharp, sudden bend). Therefore, excessive load on the harness can be prevented even when the sliding seat is slid forward and backward or stored in the footwell.

In one aspect of this invention, the harness restricting portion may be provided with a first bending restricting portion that, when the sliding seat is deployed from the footwell, contacts a portion of the harness that is bent from the direction toward the other side toward the sliding seat, restricting the bending shape of that portion.

With this invention, when the sliding seat is deployed from the footwell, the harness wraps around the first bend restricting portion and is bent along the first bend restricting portion. This prevents the portion of the harness that is bent from the direction toward the other side toward the sliding seat from having a radius smaller than the allowable bend radius. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness.

In another aspect of the present invention, the first bend restricting portion may be an arcuate surface formed on the harness restricting portion, and the central axis of the arcuate surface may be coaxial with the pivot center of the connecting portion of the link arm.

This invention prevents the harness from being pulled and becoming tense when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm and wraps around the arcuate surface that is the first bend restricting portion. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness. It also prevents the harness from becoming significantly slack when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm and unwinds from the arcuate surface that is the first bend restricting portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, the seat-side retaining portion may be provided with a second bending restriction portion that contacts the bent portion near the distal end of the harness and restricts the bending shape of that portion when the sliding seat is stored in the foot space or deployed from the foot space.

With this invention, when the sliding seat is stored in the footwell or deployed from the footwell, the harness wraps around the second bend restriction portion and is bent along the second bend restriction portion. This prevents the bent portion near the tip of the harness from having a radius smaller than the allowable bend radius. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness.

In another aspect of the present invention, the second bending restriction portion may be an arcuate surface formed on the seat-side holding portion, and the central axis of the arcuate surface may be coaxial with the pivot center of the connecting portion of the link arm.

This invention prevents the harness from being pulled and becoming tense when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm and wraps around the arcuate surface that is the second bend restricting portion. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness. It also prevents the harness from becoming significantly slack when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm and unwinds from the arcuate surface that is the second bend restricting portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, the harness restricting portion may be provided with a third bending restricting portion that is in contact with a portion of the harness that is bent back from the direction toward one side toward the direction toward the other side when the sliding seat is slid to the one side, restricting the bending shape of that portion.

With this invention, when the sliding seat is slid to one side, the harness wraps around the third bend restriction portion and is bent back along the third bend restriction portion. This prevents the portion of the harness that is bent back from one side to the other from having a radius smaller than the allowable bend radius. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the harness restricting portion may be provided with an extension restricting portion that restricts the harness path of the portion of the harness that extends to the other side.
This invention makes it possible to support the intermediate portion of the harness that is separated from both the vehicle body-side holding portion and the seat-side holding portion, thereby preventing the intermediate portion of the harness from sagging due to gravity and preventing the sagging harness from interfering with surrounding components.

In another aspect of the present invention, the extension restricting portion may be configured by a pair of contact surfaces arranged to sandwich the harness.
This invention can suppress twisting in the middle of the harness that is separated from both the vehicle body-side holding portion and the seat-side holding portion, thereby preventing the harness from deforming into an unintended shape and preventing the harness that has deformed into an unintended shape from interfering with surrounding components.

In another aspect of the present invention, a connector of the harness may be held by at least one of the vehicle body side holding portion and the seat side holding portion.
According to this invention, when a connector is held by the vehicle body-side holding portion, it is possible to connect a harness routed in the vehicle body to a harness constituting the harness routing structure using the vehicle body-side holding portion. Also, when a connector is held by the seat-side holding portion, it is possible to connect a harness routed in the sliding seat to a harness constituting the harness routing structure using the seat-side holding portion. Furthermore, when connectors are held by the vehicle body-side holding portion and the seat-side holding portion, it is possible to change the specifications of the harness stretched between the vehicle body and the sliding seat. For example, it is possible to apply a flexible flat cable only to the harness stretched between the vehicle body and the sliding seat.

In another aspect of the present invention, the harness may be routed in a gap between a floor panel that constitutes the vehicle body and a seat cushion that constitutes the sliding seat.
This invention allows the harness to be housed in the gap between the floor panel and the seat cushion, making it possible to hide the harness from the view of the person sitting in the sliding seat and those around, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance.

According to the present invention, excessive loads can be prevented from being applied to the harness even when the sliding seat is slid forward and backward or stored in the foot space.

FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the seat support structure when the slide seat is slid forward. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the harness routing structure when the sliding seat is slid forward. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the seat support structure when the sliding seat is slid rearward. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the harness routing structure when the sliding seat is slid rearward; 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the seat support structure when the sliding seat is stored in the foot space. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the harness routing structure when the sliding seat is stored in the foot space. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the seat support structure when the sliding seat is deployed from the foot space. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the harness routing structure when the sliding seat is deployed from the foot space. FIG. FIG. 10 is a side view of a harness routing structure according to another embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In this application, all drawings indicate the directions of the vehicle body 100. Specifically, arrow F indicates the front side of the vehicle body, arrow B indicates the rear side of the vehicle body, arrow R indicates the right side of the vehicle body, and arrow L indicates the left side of the vehicle body. Arrow U indicates the upper side of the vehicle body, and arrow D indicates the lower side of the vehicle body. Additionally, in this application, the front-rear direction is designated X, the left-right direction is designated Y, and the up-down direction is designated Z.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the seat support structure 10. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the harness routing structure 20, and Figure 3 is a side view of the harness routing structure 20. Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the seat-side retaining portion 23, and Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of the seat-side retaining portion 23. Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the harness restricting portion 24, and Figure 7 is an enlarged side view of the harness restricting portion 24. Note that in Figure 1, the sliding seat 200 is represented by a two-dot chain line so that the seat support structure 10 and the harness routing structure 20 can be seen. In Figure 2, the slider 12 that constitutes the seat support structure 10 and the stay 24S for fixing the harness restricting portion 24 to the slider 12 are represented by a two-dot chain line.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 slides forward (F), and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the harness routing structure 20 when the sliding seat 200 slides forward (F). FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 slides rearward (B), and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the harness routing structure 20 when the sliding seat 200 slides rearward (B). Note that in FIGS. 8 and 10, the rail 11 on the left side (L) has been removed so that the harness routing structure 20 can be seen. In FIGS. 9 and 11, not only the rail 11 on the left side (L) but also the rail 11 on the right side (R) has been removed, and the before and after operations are indicated by dashed double-dashed lines and solid lines.

Furthermore, Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, and Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the harness routing structure 20 when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A. Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A, and Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the harness routing structure 20 when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A. Note that in Figures 12 and 14, the rail 11 on the left side L and other components have been removed so that the harness routing structure 20 can be seen. In Figures 13 and 15, not only the rail 11 on the left side L but also the rail 11 on the right side R have been removed, and the before and after operations are indicated by dashed double-dashed lines and solid lines.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body 100 has a floor panel 101. The vehicle body 100 is provided with a seat support structure 10 that supports a sliding seat 200. The seat support structure 10 in this embodiment has a pair of rails 11, a pair of sliders 12, and four link arms 13.

The rails 11 extend along the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle body 100. The rails 11 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined distance and fixed to the floor panel 101 that constitutes the vehicle body 100. A track groove 11r is formed on the upper surface of each rail 11 along the longitudinal direction X.

The sliders 12 are supported by being fitted into the track grooves 11r of the rails 11. Therefore, each slider 12 can move along the rails 11 (see arrow S). A through-hole 12h that penetrates in the left-right direction Y is formed at the front and rear end portions of each slider 12.

The link arm 13 has a connecting shaft 131 that protrudes in the left-right direction Y from the side surface at its base end. The link arm 13 is pivotally connected to the slider 12 by inserting the connecting shaft 131 into a through hole 12h formed in the slider 12. Therefore, each link arm 13 can pivot within a range of approximately 90 degrees from the forward side F to the upper side U, with the connecting shaft 131 as the pivot center (see arrow P).

The link arm 13 also has a connecting shaft 132 that protrudes in the left-right direction Y from the side portion at its tip. The link arm 13 is pivotally connected to the seat cushion 201 by inserting the connecting shaft 132 into a through hole 20h formed in the seat cushion 201. Therefore, each link arm 13 can pivot within a range of approximately 90 degrees from the lower side D to the rear side B, with the connecting shaft 132 as the pivot center (see Figures 12 and 14).

With this configuration, the seat support structure 10 allows the sliding seat 200 to slide in the fore-and-aft direction X of the vehicle body 100 by moving the slider 12 along the rail 11. The seat support structure 10 also allows the sliding seat 200 to be stored in the foot space A by pivoting the link arm 13 attached to the slider 12. Note that the seat support structure 10 according to this embodiment is configured so that the sliding seat 200 can be stored in the foot space A by releasing a latch (not shown) while the seat back 202 is folded down and pivoting it toward the front side F.

As shown in Figure 1, the seat support structure 10 is provided with a harness routing structure 20 that supplies power to electrical components incorporated in the sliding seat 200. As shown in Figure 2, the harness routing structure 20 has a harness 21, a vehicle body-side holding portion 22, a seat-side holding portion 23, and a harness restricting portion 24. These components are described in detail below using Figures 2 to 7.

The harness 21 is stretched between the vehicle body 100 and the sliding seat 200. The harness 21 is made up of multiple overlapping flexible flat cables. A connector 211 is attached to the base end of the harness 21, which houses the terminal fittings fastened to each conductive plate. A connector 212 is also attached to the tip end of the harness 21, which houses the terminal fittings fastened to each conductive plate.

The harness 21 extends from the vehicle body-side holder 22 to the rear side B in the fore-and-aft direction X, then bends back to the front side F and toward the sliding seat 200, reaching the seat-side holder 23. The harness 21 is bent around a central axis C1 (described below) that extends along the left-right direction Y, and in a predetermined state, is bent back around a central axis C3 (described below) that also extends along the left-right direction Y. The flexible flat cable that makes up the harness 21 is formed into a strip-like shape by sandwiching an electrically conductive plate between insulating sheets, and therefore has high flexibility in the thickness direction, allowing for such a harness path.

The vehicle body-side holding portion 22 is fixed to the vehicle body 100 and holds the base end portion of the harness 21. The vehicle body-side holding portion 22 is mainly composed of a connector holder 220, which houses the connector 211 described above. The connector 151 of the harness 150 routed in the vehicle body 100 is then coupled (connected) to this connector 211. This electrically connects the harness 150 routed in the vehicle body 100 to the harness 21 that constitutes the harness routing structure 20. The harness 150 routed in the vehicle body 100 is a bundle of so-called insulated wires with a round cross-sectional shape.

The connector holder 220 also has a main body 221 and fixing plates 222 that extend to both the left and right of the main body 221. The main body 221 has an opening at the upper end of its front surface, and the connector 211 is housed in this opening. Therefore, the harness 21 passes from the connector 211 through the inside of the main body 221 and is guided to the lower side D, and extends from a slit-shaped opening 22h on the rear surface of the main body 221 toward the rear side B. The connector holder 220 is fixed to the floor panel 101 that constitutes the vehicle body 100 by bolts 22B inserted through the fixing plates 222. However, this is not limited to the floor panel 101.

The seat-side holding portion 23 is fixed to the side of the sliding seat 200 and holds the tip portion of the harness 21. The seat-side holding portion 23 is mainly composed of a connector holder 230, which houses the connector 212 described above. The connector 252 of the harness 250 routed in the sliding seat 200 is then coupled (connected) to this connector 212. This electrically connects the harness 250 routed in the sliding seat 200 to the harness 21 that constitutes the harness routing structure 20. The harness 250 routed in the sliding seat 200 is a bundle of so-called insulated wires with a round cross-sectional shape.

The connector holder 230 also has a main body 231 and fixing plates 232 that extend to both the left and right of the main body 231. The main body 231 has an opening at the upper end of its rear surface, and the connector 212 is housed in this opening. Therefore, the harness 21 is guided from the connector 212 through the inside of the main body 231 to the forward side F, and extends downward from a slit-shaped opening 23h on the underside of the main body 231 toward the downward side D. The connector holder 230 is fixed to the seat cushion 201 that constitutes the sliding seat 200 by bolts 23B inserted through the fixing plates 232. However, this is not limited to the seat cushion 201.

Furthermore, the connector holder 230 has a step 233 formed at the front end portion of the main body 231, and the aforementioned opening 23h is formed in the lower plate of this step 233. The front plate 231f of the main body 231 extends from the rear edge of the opening 23h toward the downward side D. The lower plate 231d is disposed perpendicular to the front plate 231f. A bend restricting portion 234 is provided at the corner between the front plate 231f and the lower plate 231d of the main body 231. The bend restricting portion 234 is an arcuate surface 234s centered on a central axis C2 that is parallel to the left-right direction Y, and around which the harness 21 is wound when in a specified state. The central axis C2 is disposed coaxially with the center line of the connecting shaft 132 of the link arm 13.

The harness restricting portion 24 is fixed to the side of the sliding seat 200 and restricts the harness path of the harness 21. The harness restricting portion 24 is mainly composed of a harness guide 240, which is provided with restricting portions (bending restricting portions 244, 245 and extension restricting portion 246) that restrict the harness path of the harness 21. Each restricting portion is effective independently, and it is sufficient to provide at least one.

The harness guide 240 also has a lower main body portion 241 and an upper main body portion 242 that is offset slightly forward F on the upper side U of the lower main body portion 241. The lower main body portion 241 has an opening hole at the left end of its front surface, into which a stay 24S is inserted (see Figure 2). The stay 24S extends to the right side R and is then bent parallel to the fore-and-aft direction X, with its tip end connected to the adjacent slider 12. Therefore, when the slider 12 moves in the fore-and-aft direction X, the harness guide 240 also moves in the fore-and-aft direction X. The harness guide 240 is fixed to the slider 12 by a bolt 24B inserted into the tip end of the stay 24S. However, this is not limited to the slider 12.

Furthermore, the harness guide 240 has a step 243 formed at the boundary between the lower main body portion 241 and the upper main body portion 242, and a through groove 24g penetrating in the front-to-rear direction X is formed in this step 243. An upper plate 241u of the lower main body portion 241 extends from the lower edge of the entrance side of the through groove 24g toward the rear side B. A lower plate 241d is disposed parallel to the upper plate 241u. A bend restricting portion 244 is provided between the rear end portion of the upper plate 241u and the rear end portion of the lower plate 241d of the lower main body portion 241. The bend restricting portion 244 is an arcuate surface 244s centered on a central axis C3 that is parallel to the left-to-right direction Y, and the harness 21 is wrapped around it when in a specified state.

In addition, as mentioned above, the harness guide 240 has a through groove 24g formed in the step portion 243 that penetrates in the front-to-rear direction X. A lower plate 242d of the upper main body portion 242 extends from the upper edge of the exit side of the through groove 24g formed in the step portion 243 toward the front side F. A front plate 242f is disposed perpendicular to the lower plate 242d. A bend restricting portion 245 is provided at the corner between the lower plate 242d and the front plate 242f of the upper main body portion 242. The bend restricting portion 245 is an arcuate surface 245s centered on a central axis C1 that is parallel to the left-to-right direction Y, around which the harness 21 is wound when in a predetermined state. The central axis C1 is disposed coaxially with the center line of the connecting shaft 131 of the link arm 13.

The portion of the harness 21 extending toward the forward side F is inserted into the step 243 formed at the boundary between the lower main body portion 241 and the upper main body portion 242. This restricts the harness path of the portion of the harness 21 extending toward the forward side F. Therefore, the harness restricting portion 24 is provided with an extension restricting portion 246 that restricts the harness path of the portion of the harness 21 extending toward the forward side F. The harness 21 also passes through a through groove 24g formed in the step 243. The through groove 24g is formed slightly wider than the thickness of the harness 21, and the contact surface 246s on the lower side D and the contact surface 246s on the upper side U restrict the harness path of the harness 21. Therefore, the extension restricting portion 246 is composed of a pair of contact surfaces 246s, 246s arranged to sandwich the harness 21.

With this configuration, the harness routing structure 20 can appropriately regulate the harness path when the sliding seat 200 is slid forward F or rearward B. The harness routing structure 20 can also appropriately regulate the harness path when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A or when it is deployed from the foot space A. The operating modes of the seat support structure 10 and the harness routing structure 20 are described below.

First, using Figures 8 and 9, the operation of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 is slid forward F and the operation of the harness routing structure 20 at that time will be described. Figure 8(a) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 has been slid to the rearmost side B, and Figure 8(b) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 has been slid to the frontmost side F. In Figure 9, the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 8(a) is represented by a two-dot chain line, and the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 8(b) is represented by a solid line.

When sliding the sliding seat 200 forward F, it is necessary to move the slider 12 forward F along the rail 11. This causes the link arm 13 attached to the slider 12 to also move forward F, and the sliding seat 200 supported by the link arm 13 also moves forward F (see arrow Sf). Note that when sliding the sliding seat 200 forward F, it is necessary to release a latch (not shown).

Furthermore, when the sliding seat 200 is slid forward F, the harness restricting portion 24 moves forward F together with the slider 12 (see arrow Sf). The harness restricting portion 24 then moves away from the bent-back portion 21a of the harness 21 and approaches the vehicle body retaining portion 22. When the sliding seat 200 is slid most forward F, the harness 21 is wrapped around the arc surface 245s, which is the bend restricting portion 245 of the harness restricting portion 244. The upper plate 241u and lower plate 241d of the lower main body portion 241 and the lower plate 242d and front plate 242f of the upper main body portion 242 are in contact with the harness 21.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, even when the sliding seat 200 is slid forward F, the front plate 242f of the upper main body 242 of the harness restrictor 24 and the front plate 231f of the main body 231 of the seat-side holder 23 remain at the same position (no misalignment) in the fore-and-aft direction X. Therefore, the portion of the harness 21 extending toward the upper side U has its lower end abutted against the front plate 242f of the harness restrictor 24, and its upper end abutted against the front plate 231f of the seat-side holder 23.

Next, using Figures 10 and 11, the operation of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 is slid to the rearward side B and the operation of the harness routing structure 20 at that time will be described. Figure 10(a) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 has been slid to the most forward side F, and Figure 10(b) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 has been slid to the most rearward side B. In Figure 11, the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 10(a) is represented by a two-dot chain line, and the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 10(b) is represented by a solid line.

When sliding the sliding seat 200 toward the rear side B, it is necessary to move the slider 12 toward the rear side B along the rail 11. This causes the link arm 13 attached to the slider 12 to also move toward the rear side B, and the sliding seat 200 supported by the link arm 13 also moves toward the rear side B (see arrow Sb). Note that when sliding the sliding seat 200 toward the rear side B, it is also necessary to release the latch (not shown).

Furthermore, when the sliding seat 200 is slid rearward B, the harness restricting portion 24 moves rearward B together with the slider 12 (see arrow Sb). The harness restricting portion 24 then moves away from the vehicle body retaining portion 22 and approaches the bent-back portion 21a of the harness 21 until it abuts against the bent-back portion 21a. When the sliding seat 200 is slid all the way rearward B, the harness 21 is wrapped around not only the arcuate surface 245s of the bend restricting portion 245, but also the arcuate surface 244s of the bend restricting portion 244. The upper plate 241u and lower plate 241d of the lower main body portion 241 and the lower plate 242d and front plate 242f of the upper main body portion 242 are in contact with the harness 21.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, even when the sliding seat 200 is slid rearward B, the front plate 242f of the upper main body 242 of the harness restrictor 24 and the front plate 231f of the main body 231 of the seat-side holder 23 remain at the same position (no misalignment) in the fore-and-aft direction X. Therefore, the portion of the harness 21 extending toward the upper side U has its lower end abutted against the front plate 242f of the harness restrictor 24, and its upper end abutted against the front plate 231f of the seat-side holder 23.

Next, using Figures 12 and 13, the operation of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A and the operation of the harness routing structure 20 at that time will be described. Figure 12(a) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 has been deployed from the foot space A, Figure 12(b) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 is in the process of being stored in the foot space A, and Figure 12(c) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 has been stored in the foot space A. In Figure 13, the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 12(a) is represented by a two-dot chain line, and the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 12(c) is represented by a solid line.

When storing the sliding seat 200 in the foot space A, the slider 12 must be moved to the rearmost position B and the link arm 13 attached to the slider 12 must be pivoted forward F. This causes the sliding seat 200 supported by the link arm 13 to be stored in the foot space A on the forward side F (see arrow Pd). Note that when storing the sliding seat 200 in the foot space A, the seat back 202 must be folded down, a latch (not shown) must be released, and the seat must be pivoted forward F.

Furthermore, when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, the portion of the harness 21 extending upward U collapses toward the forward side F together with the link arm 13 (see arrow Pd). As a result, the harness 21 gradually increases in bending angle from a state in which it is wrapped around the arc surface 245s, which is the bending restriction portion 245 of the harness restriction portion 24. At the same time, the harness 21 gradually wraps around and bends around the arc surface 234s, which is the bending restriction portion 234 of the seat-side holding portion 23. Thus, when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, the harness 21 unwinds from the arc surface 245s, which is the bending restriction portion 245, and is now wrapped around the arc surface 234s, which is the bending restriction portion 234. The harness 21 is also wrapped around the arc surface 244s, which is the bending restriction portion 244. The upper plate 241u and lower plate 241d of the lower main body portion 241 and the lower plate 242d of the upper main body portion 242 are then fitted along the harness 21.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, the lower plate 242d of the upper main body 242 of the harness restrictor 24 and the lower plate 231d of the main body 231 of the seat-side holder 23 are at the same position (no misalignment) in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the portion of the harness 21 extending toward the forward side F has its rear end portion in contact with the lower plate 242d of the harness restrictor 24, and its front end portion in contact with the lower plate 231d of the seat-side holder 23.

Next, using Figures 14 and 15, the operating mode of the seat support structure 10 when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A and the operating mode of the harness routing structure 20 at that time will be described. Figure 14(a) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, Figure 14(b) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 is in the middle of being deployed from the foot space A, and Figure 14(c) shows the state in which the sliding seat 200 has been deployed from the foot space A. In Figure 15, the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 14(a) is represented by a two-dot chain line, and the harness routing structure 20 corresponding to Figure 14(c) is represented by a solid line.

When deploying the sliding seat 200 from the foot space A, the slider 12 must be moved to the rearmost position B and the link arm 13 attached to the slider 12 must be pivoted upward to the upper side U. Then, the sliding seat 200 supported by the link arm 13 will deploy from the foot space A to the upper side U (see arrow Pu). Note that when deploying the sliding seat 200 from the foot space A, it is necessary to pivot the sliding seat 200 toward the upper side U to engage a latch (not shown) and raise the seat back 202.

Furthermore, when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A, the portion of the harness 21 extending forward F rises upward U together with the link arm 13 (see arrow Pu). As a result, the harness 21 gradually increases in bending angle from a state in which it is wrapped around the arcuate surface 234s, which is the bending restriction portion 234 of the seat-side holding portion 23. At the same time, the harness 21 gradually wraps around and bends around the arcuate surface 245s, which is the bending restriction portion 245 of the harness restriction portion 24. Thus, when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A, the harness 21 unwinds from the arcuate surface 234s, which is the bending restriction portion 234, and is now wrapped around the arcuate surface 245s, which is the bending restriction portion 245. The harness 21 is also wrapped around the arcuate surface 244s, which is the bending restriction portion 244. The upper plate 241u and lower plate 241d of the lower main body portion 241, and the lower plate 242d and front plate 242f of the upper main body portion 242 are fitted along the harness 21.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A, the front plate 242f of the upper main body portion 242 of the harness restrictor 24 and the front plate 231f of the main body portion 231 of the seat-side holder 23 are at the same position (no misalignment) in the fore-and-aft direction X. Therefore, the portion of the harness 21 extending toward the upper side U has its lower end in contact with the front plate 242f of the harness restrictor 24, and its upper end in contact with the front plate 231f of the seat-side holder 23.

As described above, the harness routing structure 20 has a rail 11 extending in the fore-and-aft direction X of the vehicle body 100, a link arm 13 attached to a slider 12 that is movable along the rail 11, and the pivoting movement of the link arm 13 supplies power to the electrical components of the sliding seat 200 that is supported so as to be retractable into the foot space A. The harness routing structure 20 is equipped with a harness 21 that is stretched between the vehicle body 100 and the sliding seat 200, a vehicle-body-side holder 22 that is fixed to the floor panel 101 of the vehicle body 100 and holds the base end portion of the harness 21, a seat-side holder 23 that is fixed to the seat cushion 201 of the sliding seat 200 and holds the tip end portion of the harness 21, and a harness restrictor 24 that is fixed to the slider 12 that moves in the fore-and-aft direction X together with the sliding seat 200 and restricts the harness path of the harness 21. The harness restricting portion 24 extends from the vehicle body-side retaining portion 22 to the rear side B in the fore-and-aft direction X, then bends back to the front side F and bends toward the sliding seat 200, and contacts the middle portion of the harness 21 leading to the seat-side retaining portion 23, thereby restricting the harness path.

According to this harness routing structure 20, even when the slide seat 200 is slid in the front-rear direction X or stored in the foot space A, an excessive load can be prevented from acting on the harness 21.
More specifically, in the harness routing structure 20 according to the present invention, the harness restricting portion 24 extends from the vehicle body-side retaining portion 22 toward the rear side B in the fore-and-aft direction X, then bends back toward the front side F and toward the sliding seat 200 (toward the upward side U when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A), and is brought into contact with the intermediate portion of the harness 21 leading to the seat-side retaining portion 23 to restrict the harness path. Therefore, deformation (displacement) of the harness 21 is kept small in the intermediate portion of the harness 21 that is separated from both the vehicle body-side retaining portion 22 and the seat-side retaining portion 23, and local bending (bending with a large curvature, i.e., a sharp and sudden bending) of the harness 21 can be prevented. Therefore, even when the sliding seat 200 is slid in the fore-and-aft direction X or stored in the foot space A, excessive load can be prevented from being applied to the harness 21.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the harness restricting portion 24 is provided with a bending restricting portion 245 that is in contact with the portion 21b of the harness 21 that is bent from the direction toward the forward side F toward the direction approaching the sliding seat 200 when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A, restricting the bending shape of the portion 21b.

With this harness routing structure 20, when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A, the harness 21 wraps around the bend restricting portion 245 and is bent along the bend restricting portion 245. This prevents the portion 21b of the harness 21 that is bent from the direction toward the forward side F toward the sliding seat 200 from having a radius smaller than the allowable bending radius. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness 21.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the bend restricting portion 245 is an arcuate surface 245s formed on the harness restricting portion 24, and the central axis C1 of the arcuate surface 245s is positioned coaxially with the pivot center of the connecting portion of the link arm 13.

This harness routing structure 20 prevents the harness 21 from being pulled and tensioned when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm 13 and wraps around the arcuate surface 245s of the bend restricting portion 245. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness 21. Furthermore, it prevents the harness 21 from becoming significantly loose when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm 13 and unwinds from the arcuate surface 245s of the bend restricting portion 245.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the seat-side retaining portion 23 is provided with a bending restriction portion 234 that contacts the bent portion 21c (see Figure 13) near the tip of the harness 21 when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, restricting the bending shape of the bent portion 21c.

With this harness routing structure 20, when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, the harness 21 wraps around the bend restricting portion 234 and is bent along the bend restricting portion 234. This prevents the bent portion 21c near the tip of the harness 21 from having a radius smaller than the allowable bend radius. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness 21.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the bend restricting portion 234 is an arcuate surface 234s formed on the seat-side retaining portion 23, and the central axis C2 of the arcuate surface 234s is positioned coaxially with the pivot center of the connecting portion of the link arm 13.

This harness routing structure 20 prevents the harness 21 from being pulled and tensioned when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm 13 and wraps around the arcuate surface 234s, which is the bend restricting portion 234. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness 21. Furthermore, it prevents the harness 21 from becoming significantly loose when it follows the pivoting movement of the link arm 13 and unwinds from the arcuate surface 234s, which is the bend restricting portion 234.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the harness restricting portion 24 is provided with a bending restricting portion 244 that contacts the portion 21a of the harness 21 that is bent back from the direction toward the rear side B toward the direction toward the front side F when the sliding seat 200 is slid toward the rear side B, restricting the bending shape of the portion 21a.

With this harness routing structure 20, when the sliding seat 200 is slid in the direction toward the rear side B, the harness 21 wraps around the bend restricting portion 244 and is bent back along the bend restricting portion 244. This prevents the portion 21a of the harness 21 that is bent back from the direction toward the rear side B to the forward side F from having a radius smaller than the allowable bend radius. This prevents excessive load from being applied to the harness 21.

In the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the harness restricting portion 24 is provided with an extension restricting portion 246 that restricts the harness path of the portion of the harness 21 that extends to the forward side F.
According to this harness routing structure 20, it is possible to support the intermediate portion of the harness 21 that is spaced apart from both the vehicle body-side holding portion 22 and the seat-side holding portion 23. This prevents the intermediate portion of the harness 21 from sagging due to gravity. This prevents the sagging harness 21 from interfering with surrounding components.

In the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the extension restricting portion 246 is configured with a pair of contact surfaces 246s, 246s arranged to sandwich the harness 21 therebetween.
According to this harness routing structure 20, twisting can be suppressed in the middle portion of the harness 21 that is separated from both the vehicle body-side holding portion 22 and the seat-side holding portion 23. This prevents the harness 21 from being deformed into an unintended shape. This prevents the harness 21 that has been deformed into an unintended shape from interfering with surrounding components.

In the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the connectors 211 and 212 of the harness 21 are held by the vehicle body-side holding portion 22 and the seat-side holding portion 23 .
According to such a harness routing structure 20, it is possible to change the specifications of the harness 21 that is laid between the vehicle body 100 and the sliding seat 200. For example, it is possible to apply a flexible flat cable only to the harness 21 that is laid between the vehicle body 100 and the sliding seat 200.

In the harness routing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the harness 21 is routed in the gap between the floor panel 101 that constitutes the vehicle body 100 and the seat cushion 201 that constitutes the sliding seat 200 .
According to this harness routing structure 20, the harness 21 can be accommodated in the gap between the floor panel 101 and the seat cushion 201. This makes it possible to hide the harness 21 from the view of a person seated on the sliding seat 200 or people nearby, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance.

In correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The seat support structure corresponds to seat support structure 10;
The rail corresponds to rail 11,
The slider corresponds to slider 12,
The link arm corresponds to the link arm 13,
The harness wiring structure corresponds to the harness wiring structure 20,
The harness is compatible with Harness 21.
The vehicle body side holding portion corresponds to the vehicle body side holding portion 22,
The seat side holding portion corresponds to the seat side holding portion 23,
The second bending restriction portion corresponds to the bending restriction portion 234,
The arc surface corresponds to the arc surface 234s,
The harness restrictor corresponds to the harness restrictor 24,
The third bending restriction portion corresponds to the bending restriction portion 244,
The arc surface corresponds to the arc surface 244s,
The first bending restriction portion corresponds to the bending restriction portion 245,
The arc surface corresponds to the arc surface 245s,
The extension restricting portion corresponds to the extension restricting portion 246,
The contact surface corresponds to the contact surface 246s,
The connectors correspond to connectors 211 and 212.
The vehicle body corresponds to the vehicle body 100,
The floor panel corresponds to floor panel 101,
The slide sheet corresponds to the slide sheet 200,
The seat cushion corresponds to the seat cushion 201,
The foot space corresponds to foot space A,
The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and many other embodiments can be obtained.

For example, in the harness routing structure 20 disclosed herein, a step portion 233 is formed in the main body portion 231 that constitutes the seat-side holder 23, and an opening hole 23h through which the harness 21 is inserted is formed in the lower plate of this step portion 233. However, as shown in FIG. 16 , the opening hole 23h through which the harness 21 is inserted may also be formed in the rear plate of the main body portion 231 that constitutes the seat-side holder 23, and the harness 21 may be wound around the bend restricting portion 234 when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A.

With this harness routing structure 20, when the sliding seat 200 is stored in the foot space A, the bending angle of the bent portion 21c near the tip of the harness 21 gradually increases. Conversely, when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A, the harness 21 is gradually bent near the tip. In other words, the seat-side retaining portion 23 is provided with a bending restriction portion 234 that contacts the bent portion 21c near the tip of the harness 21 and restricts the bending shape of that portion 21c when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A.

In addition, in the harness routing structure 20 disclosed herein, the harness 21 is extended from the vehicle body-side retaining portion 22 to the rear side B in the fore-and-aft direction X, then bent back to the front side F and bent in a direction approaching the sliding seat 200 (toward the upward side U when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A) to reach the seat-side retaining portion 23. However, the harness 21 may also be extended from the vehicle body-side retaining portion 22 to the front side F in the fore-and-aft direction X, then bent back to the rear side B and bent in a direction approaching the sliding seat 200 (toward the upward side U when the sliding seat 200 is deployed from the foot space A) to reach the seat-side retaining portion 23.

The present invention also includes the harness restricting portion 24 constituting the harness routing structure 20 described above. Specifically, the harness restricting portion 24 of the harness routing structure 20 includes a rail 11 extending in the fore-and-aft direction X of the vehicle body 100, a link arm 13 attached to a slider 12 that is movable along the rail 11, and a slide seat 200 that is supported and retractable in the foot space A by pivotal movement of the link arm 13. The harness restricting portion 24 is attached to a midpoint of the harness 21 that extends from a vehicle body-side holder 22 that holds a base end portion of the harness 21 spanning between the vehicle body 100 and the slide seat 200 to the rear side B along the fore-and-aft direction X, then bent back to the front side F and bent toward the slide seat 200 to reach the seat-side holder 23 that holds a tip end portion of the harness 21, thereby restricting the harness path.

This also achieves the same effect as the harness routing structure 20 according to the previously described embodiment. In other words, deformation (displacement) of the harness 21 is kept small in the midsection of the harness 21, which is spaced apart from both the vehicle body-side retaining portion 22 and the seat-side retaining portion 23, and localized bending of the harness 21 (bending with a large curvature, i.e., sudden bending with a large degree of bending) can be prevented. Therefore, even when the sliding seat 200 is slid in the fore-and-aft direction X or stored in the foot space A, excessive loads can be prevented from acting on the harness 21.

Finally, the harness routing structure 1 disclosed in this application has been described assuming that the harness 21 is a flexible flat cable. However, it may also be a so-called coated wire with a round cross-sectional shape. Alternatively, it may also be a so-called ribbon wire with a flat cross-sectional shape.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Seat support structure 11...Rail 12...Slider 13...Link arm 20...Harness routing structure 21...Harness 22...Vehicle body side holding portion 23...Seat side holding portion 234...Bending restriction portion 234s...Circular surface 24...Harness restriction portion 244...Bending restriction portion 244s...Circular surface 245...Bending restriction portion 245s...Circular surface 246...Extension restriction portion 246s...Contact surface 211...Connector 212...Connector 100...Vehicle body 101...Floor panel 200...Sliding seat 201...Seat cushion A...Foot space

Claims (11)

A harness wiring structure that supplies power to electrical components of a sliding seat that has a rail extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle body, a link arm attached to a slider that is movable along the rail, and is supported so as to be retractable in a foot space by pivotal movement of the link arm,
a harness that is stretched between the vehicle body and the sliding seat;
a vehicle body side holding portion fixed to the vehicle body side to hold a base end portion of the harness;
a seat-side holding portion fixed to the side of the slide seat to hold a tip portion of the harness;
a harness restricting portion fixed to the side of the slide seat to restrict the harness path of the harness,
The harness regulating portion extends from the vehicle body side holding portion to one side along the fore-and-aft direction, then bends back to the other side and bends toward the sliding seat, and is attached to the middle portion of the harness leading to the seat side holding portion, thereby regulating the harness path. 2. The harness routing structure according to claim 1, wherein the harness restricting portion is provided with a first bending restricting portion that is in contact with a portion of the harness that is bent from the direction toward the other side toward the direction approaching the slide seat when the slide seat is deployed from the foot space, and that restricts the bending shape of that portion. 3. The harness routing structure according to claim 2, wherein the first bend restricting portion is an arcuate surface formed on the harness restricting portion, and the central axis of the arcuate surface is arranged coaxially with the pivot center at the connecting portion of the link arm. 4. A harness routing structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the seat side holding portion is provided with a second bending restriction portion that is in contact with the bent portion near the tip of the harness and restricts the bending shape of the bent portion when the slide seat is stored in the foot space or deployed from the foot space. The harness routing structure according to claim 4, wherein the second bending restriction portion is an arcuate surface formed on the seat side holding portion, and the central axis of the arcuate surface is arranged coaxially with the pivot center at the connecting portion of the link arm. 6. A harness routing structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the harness restricting portion is provided with a third bending restricting portion that is in contact with a portion of the harness that is bent back from the direction toward the one side to the direction toward the other side when the slide seat is slid to the one side, and that restricts the bending shape of that portion. 7. The harness routing structure according to claim 1, wherein the harness restricting portion is provided with an extension restricting portion that restricts a harness path of the portion of the harness that extends to the other side. 8. The harness routing structure according to claim 7, wherein the extension restricting portion is formed of a pair of contact surfaces arranged to sandwich the harness. 9. The harness routing structure according to claim 1, wherein a connector of the harness is held by at least one of the vehicle body-side holding portion and the seat-side holding portion. 10. The harness routing structure according to claim 1, wherein the harness is routed in a gap between a floor panel constituting the vehicle body and a seat cushion constituting the sliding seat. A harness regulation part of a harness routing structure has a rail extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle body, a link arm attached to a slider that is movable along the rail, and the harness regulation part supplies power to electrical components of a slide seat that is supported so as to be retractable in a foot space by pivotal movement of the link arm,
A harness regulating portion is provided along the middle portion of the harness that extends from a vehicle body side holding portion that holds the base end portion of the harness that is stretched between the vehicle body and the slide seat to one side along the fore-and-aft direction, then bent back to the other side and bent in a direction approaching the slide seat, and reaches a seat side holding portion that holds the tip end portion of the harness, thereby regulating the harness path.