JP7728166B2 - Vehicle seat component and vehicle seat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat component and a vehicle seat.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology in which a display tag is sewn onto the surface of the seat back of a vehicle seat. The display tag displays information about various parts of the seat and the location and function of specific structures around the seat, and the area where the display tag is sewn is provided with a retraction section that retracts the display tag into the cushion member. The retraction force exerted by this retraction section on the display tag holds the entire display tag, together with the sewn portion, in an orientation approximately perpendicular to the surface of the surface, i.e., in an upright position relative to the surface.

JP 2016-78501 A

However, with the above prior art, a fixing structure must be provided on the cushion material (pad material) of the seat back in order to retract the display tag using the retraction section. Furthermore, because products are identified by the display tag that is exposed on the exterior, it takes time to identify parts with similar shapes.

In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle seat component and a vehicle seat that are formed with a simple structure and allow the specifications of the seat body to be identified with a simple operation.

The vehicle seat component according to the invention described in claim 1 comprises a pad formed of a foam material for supporting an occupant seated on a seat body, a seat cover covering the pad and formed by sewing a plurality of cover pieces together, and a product information tag on which product information for the seat body is recorded, the product information tag being provided on the inside of the seat cover and capable of being read from the outside while being housed inside the seat body .

The vehicle seat component according to the invention of claim 1 includes a pad, a seat cover, and a product information tag. The pad is made of a foam material and supports an occupant seated on the seat body. The seat cover is formed by sewing together multiple cover pieces, and covers the pad. The product information tag records product information for the seat body, is attached to the inside of the seat cover, and can be read from the outside while still housed inside the seat body .

Here, the product information tag being "mounted on the inside of the seat upholstery" refers to the state in which the product information tag is not exposed on the outside of the seat upholstery, i.e., on the design surface side. The product tag may be adhered to the inside of the seat upholstery, or may be mounted on the pad side covered by the seat upholstery. The product tag may also be integrated with the pad by being integrally molded with the pad.

Product information refers to information corresponding to the specifications of the seat body (such as the vehicle model it is intended for), and records the number of the part used (part number), production lot, etc. The product information tag can be read from the outside, so the product information written on the product information tag can be read even when the product information tag is stored inside the seat body.

In other words, in the present invention, by using a product information tag that can read product information about the seat body from the outside while remaining stored inside the seat body , the product information tag can be provided on the inside of the seat cover. For example, by adhering the product tag to the inside of the seat cover or to the pad side covered by the seat cover, the product information tag can be provided on the back side of the seat cover or inside the pad with a simple configuration.

In addition, in the present invention, the information recorded on the product information tag is read by a reading device that can be read from the outside while it is still housed inside the seat body , so there is no need to remove the seat cover to read the product information on the seat body, and the specifications of the seat body can be identified with a simple procedure.

As described above, the present invention allows for easy identification of the product information on the seat body, improving work efficiency associated with identifying the product information on the seat body. Therefore, the present invention can reduce the amount of work required to identify the product information on the seat body, and as a result, it is possible to prevent increases in the cost of the seat body.

The vehicle seat component according to claim 2 is the vehicle seat component according to claim 1, wherein the product information tag is an RFID tag.

RFID stands for "Radio Frequency Identification," and RFID tags are also called RF tags. The electronic information recorded on these RFID tags can be read and written by an RFID reader, a readable and writable device, within the range of the RFID reader's radio waves.

In the vehicle seat component according to the invention of claim 2, the product information tag is an RFID tag. Therefore, within the range of the RFID reader's radio waves, the product information written on the RFID tag can be read even when the RFID tag is housed inside the headrest body. It is also possible to write product information to the RFID tag, and to add or update product information.

The vehicle seat component according to claim 3 is the vehicle seat component according to claim 2, wherein the RFID tag is sewn to the sewn portion where the adjacent cover pieces are sewn together.

In the vehicle seat component according to the invention described in claim 3, the RFID tag is sewn to the sewn portion where adjacent upholstery pieces are sewn, and the RFID tag can be sewn in a single stitching operation, thereby minimizing the increase in labor hours required to sew the RFID tag.

The vehicle seat component according to the invention described in claim 4 is a vehicle seat component described in any one of claims 1 to 3, which is at least one of a seat cushion that supports the lumbar region and thighs of an occupant and a seat back that supports the upper body of an occupant seated on the seat cushion.

In the vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 4, at least one of the seat cushion, which supports the occupant's lower back and thighs, and the seat back, which supports the occupant's upper body seated on the seat cushion, is provided with a product information tag on which product information is recorded and which can be read externally.

The vehicle seat according to claim 5 is the vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein the product information tag is provided on the underside of the seat cushion.

In the vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 5, the product information tag is attached to the underside of the seat cushion, an area that is not directly hit by people or objects, thereby preventing people or objects from colliding with the product information tag and reducing the risk of damage to the product information tag.

The vehicle seat according to claim 6 is the vehicle seat according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the product information tag is provided on the rear side of the seat back.

In the vehicle seat according to the invention described in claim 6, the product information tag is attached to the rear side of the seat back, an area that is not directly hit by people or objects, thereby preventing people or objects from colliding with the product information tag and reducing the risk of damage to the product information tag.

As described above, the vehicle seat component and vehicle seat according to the present invention are formed with a simple structure and allow the specifications of the seat body to be identified with a simple procedure.

1 is a perspective view of a seat cushion of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above. 2 is a perspective view of the seat cushion shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from diagonally below. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of FIG. 3 . 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of information managed by an RFID tag provided in the seat cushion according to the present embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of a seat back of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed obliquely from above. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the seat back shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from the rear side. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an enlarged front view showing a main part of FIG. 7 . 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC shown in FIG. 9.

The following describes a vehicle seat 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the arrows FR, UP, RH, IN, and OUT shown in each drawing indicate the front (direction of travel), top, right, inside, and outside of the vehicle width direction, respectively. Hereinafter, when the terms front-to-rear, left-to-right, and up-and-down are used in descriptions, they refer to front-to-rear in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, left-to-right in the left-to-right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction), and up-and-down in the up-and-down direction of the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

<Configuration of vehicle seat>
First, the configuration of the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment includes a seat cushion 12 on which an occupant sits, and a seat back 14 whose lower end is connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 12 to support the upper body of the occupant, and a headrest (not shown) is attached to the upper end of the seat back 14.

(Seat cushion configuration)
First, the configuration of the seat cushion according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seat cushion 12 according to this embodiment includes a cushion frame (not shown) as a skeletal member, a cushion pad 18 as a padding material, and a cushion skin 20 that covers the cushion pad 18.

The cushion pad 18 is formed from a foam material such as urethane foam, and the cushion cover 20 is foam-molded (molded) integrally with the cushion pad 18. The cushion cover 20 is formed by sewing together multiple cover pieces (cover pieces 22A, 22B, etc., described below), and the cushion pad 18 is covered by the cushion cover 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cushion cover 20 is composed of a surface layer 20A, an intermediate layer 20B, and a back layer (not shown). The surface layer 20A is provided on the decorative surface 21 side of the cushion cover 20, and is made of cloth or leather. The intermediate layer 20B is made of wadding material.

The backing layer is made of a urethane-based, olefin-based, or other film. By providing this backing layer, the urethane used as the padding material is prevented from penetrating into the surface layer 20A when foaming. This prevents the cushion surface 20 from hardening due to urethane impregnation.

The cushion cover 20 does not necessarily have to be foam-molded integrally with the cushion pad 18; if it is not foam-molded integrally with the cushion pad 18, the backing layer is not necessary. Furthermore, depending on the location of the cushion cover 20, the middle layer 20B is not necessarily required. In other words, the configuration will differ depending on the cover piece described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seat cushion 12 is composed of a main portion 22 that supports the occupant's lower back and thighs from below, and side portions 24, 26 that are located on both sides of the main portion 22 in the seat width direction and enable support for the occupant's lower back and thighs from the sides.

Here, for example, in the main portion 22, the cushion cover 20 is divided into cover pieces 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, etc. in order from the front side along the seat longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the cushion cover 20 is sewn together via stitching portions 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D, 28E, etc. so that the multiple cover pieces 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, etc. are continuous along the seat longitudinal direction, corresponding to each portion.

The cover piece 22E extends from the rear end 12A of the seat cushion 12 to the back surface 12B of the seat cushion 12, and the cover piece 22F is sewn to the lower end of the cover piece 22E. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover piece 22F is folded back toward the front of the seat.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in this embodiment, an RFID tag (product information tag) 30 is sewn to the sewing portion 28E where the upholstery pieces 22E and 22F are sewn together, and as shown in Figure 2, the RFID tag 30 is provided at the lower end 12B1 of the back surface portion 12B of the seat cushion 12.

RFID tag 30 is a general term for a system that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves and radio waves between an "IC tag" and an "RFID reader (reading device)" to read and rewrite information in the IC tag without contact. It is an information medium that uses electromagnetic waves and radio waves to read and write data from the built-in memory without contact.

In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the side airbag manufacturing number (SAB number), the seat occupancy sensor part number and manufacturing lot, inspection results tailored to the specifications of the seat cushion 12, and the identification number of the vehicle seat for the vehicle model that the seat cushion 12 is compatible with are each recorded as electronic information, making it possible to identify the destination and manufacturer. However, information related to the specifications of the seat cushion 12 is not limited to this.

(Seat back configuration)
Next, the configuration of the seat back according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As shown in Figure 6, the seat back 14 according to this embodiment includes a seat back frame (not shown) as a skeletal member, a seat back pad 32 as a padding material, and a seat back skin 34 that covers the seat back pad 32.

Like the cushion pad 18 (see Figure 1), the seatback pad 32 is made of a foam material such as urethane foam, and the seatback skin 34 is foam-molded integrally with the seatback pad 32. The seatback skin 34 is formed by sewing together multiple skin pieces (36A, 36B, 36C, etc., described below), and the seatback pad 32 is covered by the seatback skin 34.

Similar to the cushion cover 20, the seatback cover 34 is composed of a surface layer 34A, an intermediate layer 34B, and a back layer (not shown), as shown in FIG. 8, for example. The surface layer 34A is provided on the decorative surface 35 side of the seatback cover 34, and is made of cloth or leather. The intermediate layer 34B is made of wadding material.

The backing layer is made of a urethane-based, olefin-based, or other film. By providing the backing layer, the urethane used as the padding material is prevented from penetrating into the surface layer when foaming. This prevents the seat back skin 34 from hardening due to urethane impregnation.

The seatback skin 34 does not necessarily have to be foam-molded integrally with the seatback pad 32; if it is not foam-molded integrally with the seatback pad 32, the backing layer is not necessary. Furthermore, depending on the location of the seatback skin 34, the middle layer 34B is not necessarily required. In other words, the configuration will differ depending on the skin piece described below.

As shown in Figure 6, the seat back 14 is composed of a main section 36 that supports the upper body of the occupant from the rear side, and side sections 38, 40 that are located on both sides of the main section 36 in the seat width direction and enable support for the occupant's upper body from the sides. Note that a side airbag (SAB), not shown, is housed inside the side section 40, which is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

Here, for example, in the main portion 36, the seat back skin 34 is divided into skin pieces 36A, 36B, 36C, etc. in order from the top along the vertical direction of the seat. As shown in FIG. 8, the seat back skin 34 is sewn together via stitching portions 42A, 42B, etc. so that the multiple skin pieces 36A, 36B, 36C, etc., corresponding to each portion, are continuous along the vertical direction of the seat.

On the other hand, a back portion 44 is provided on the rear surface 14A side of the seat back 14, which is connected to the main portion 36 of the seat back skin 34. In the back portion 44, the seat back skin 34 is divided into skin pieces 44A, 44B, 44C, etc. in order from the top along the vertical direction of the seat. The skin pieces 44A, 44B, 44C, etc. are sewn together via stitching portions 46A, 46B, etc. so that they are continuous along the vertical direction of the seat.

In this embodiment, a concealing member 48 as part of the seat back skin 34 hangs down from the lower side of the back surface 14A of the seat back 14. A reinforcing plate 50 is provided on the inner surface of the concealing member 48 to maintain the shape of the concealing member 48. The concealing member 48 conceals the lower part of the back surface 14A of the seat back 14, preventing the lower part of the back surface of the vehicle seat 10 from being seen by an occupant seated at the rear of the vehicle seat 10.

As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, for example, an RFID tag (product information tag) 52 similar to RFID tag 30 is adhered to the inside of plate 50. In other words, in this embodiment, by attaching RFID tag 52 to the inside of plate 50, which is attached to the inside of blind member 48 that is part of seatback skin 34, RFID tag 52 is not exposed to the outside of seatback skin 34.

In this embodiment, for example, similar to the RFID tag 30, the side airbag manufacturing number (SAB number), the seat occupancy sensor part number and manufacturing lot, inspection results tailored to the specifications of the seat back 14, and the identification number of the vehicle seat for the vehicle model that the seat back 14 is compatible with are each recorded as electronic information, making it possible to identify the destination and manufacturer.

Note that RFID tag 52 does not necessarily have to contain the same information as RFID tag 30; it may contain some of the same information, or different information may be recorded.

<Functions and Effects of Vehicle Seat>
Next, the operation and effects of the vehicle seat according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, an RFID tag 30 recording product information for the seat cushion 12 is provided on the inside of the cushion cover 20. Also, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, an RFID tag 52 recording product information for the seat back 14 is provided on the inside (plate 50) of the blind member 48 of the seat back 14.

The RFID tags 30, 52 can be read externally, so the product information written on the RFID tags 30, 52 can be read even when the RFID tags 30, 52 are housed inside the seat cushion 12 and seat back 14.

In other words, in this embodiment, by using RFID tags 30, 52 that allow product information on the seat cushion 12 and seat back 14 to be read externally, the RFID tags 30, 52 can be installed inside the cushion cover 20 and the concealing member 48, respectively, without being exposed to the outside.

For example, although not shown, the RFID tag 30 can be attached to the inside of the cushion cover 20 or to the cushion pad 18 side covered by the cushion cover 20, allowing the RFID tag 30 to be mounted on the back side of the cushion cover 20 or inside the cushion pad 18 with a simple configuration. The RFID tag 52 is similar to the RFID tag 30.

In this way, in this embodiment, the product information of the seat cushion 12 can be read by the RFID tag 30, and the product information of the seat back 14 can be read by the RFID tag 52. Therefore, in this embodiment, the product information of the seat cushion 12 and seat back 14 does not depend on the shape of the seat cushion 12 and seat back 14 themselves, making it possible to reduce identification errors by workers.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the amount of work required to identify the product information of the seat cushion 12 and seat back 14 can be reduced, and as a result, increases in the cost of the vehicle seat 10 can be suppressed.

More specifically, in this embodiment, RFID tags 30, 52 are used to identify the product information of the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14, respectively. Although not shown, within the range of the radio waves of an RFID reader, the product information written on the RFID tags 30, 52 can be read even if the RFID tags 30, 52 are not exposed to the outside.

Therefore, for example, in this embodiment, the RFID tag 30 can be provided on the back side of the cushion cover 20 or inside the cushion pad 18. Therefore, although not shown, the design can be improved compared to when the RFID tag 30 is exposed to the outside of the seat cushion 12. Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing the RFID tag 30 on the back side of the cushion cover 20 or inside the cushion pad 18, there is no need to remove the cushion cover 20 to read the product information of the seat cushion 12, and the product information of the seat cushion 12 can be identified with a simple process. This improves the efficiency of the work involved in identifying the product information of the seat cushion 12.

Furthermore, by using RFID tags 30, 52 to read the product information of the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14, respectively, the RFID tag 30 can be attached to the inner surface of the cushion cover 20, or can be provided inside the cushion pad 18, although this is not shown in the figures. In other words, in this embodiment, the specifications of the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14 can be identified with a simple structure and simple work.

In addition, in this embodiment, by using RFID tags 30 and 52 as product information tags for reading product information, it is possible to add to or update recorded product information, making it highly versatile.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the RFID tag 30 is foam-molded integrally with the cushion pad 18 together with the cushion cover 20. This eliminates the need for a process of covering the cushion pad 18 with the cushion cover 20, thereby reducing the number of work steps.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the RFID tag 30 is provided at the lower end 12B1 of the back surface 12B of the seat cushion 12, and as shown in FIG. 7, the RFID tag 52 is provided on the front side of the blind member 48 of the seat back 14.

In other words, the RFID tags 30, 52 are installed in locations where they will not come into direct contact with people or objects. This prevents people or objects from colliding with the RFID tags 30, 52, reducing the risk of damage to the RFID tags 30, 52.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the RFID tag 30 is sewn together with the sewing section 28E where the adjacent skin pieces 22E and 22F are sewn together. In other words, the RFID tag 30 can be sewn by sewing the minimum amount of sewing section 28E required. Therefore, compared to when a separate sewing operation is performed to sew the RFID tag 30, this embodiment makes it possible to suppress an increase in the number of work steps.

In this embodiment, the RFID tag 30 is sewn to the sewn portion 28E, but this is not limited to sewn portion 28E. Furthermore, the RFID tag 30 does not necessarily have to be sewn to the sewn portion. Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the cushion cover 20 to which the RFID tag 30 is sewn is foam-molded integrally with the cushion pad 18, but the cushion cover 20 does not necessarily have to be foam-molded integrally with the cushion pad 18.

In addition, in this embodiment, the RFID tag 30 is sewn to the cushion cover 20, but as long as the RFID tag 30 is provided integrally with the cushion pad 18, it does not necessarily have to be sewn to the cushion cover 20. Therefore, the RFID tag 30 may be glued to the cushion pad 18.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, RFID tags 30 and 52 are used to identify the product information of the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14, respectively. However, as long as the product information can be identified from the outside of the seat cushion 12 and the seat back 14, the product information tags do not necessarily have to be RFID tags 30 and 52.

The present invention can be modified and implemented in various ways without departing from its spirit. It goes without saying that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

10 Vehicle seat 12 Seat cushion (vehicle seat component)
14 Seat back (vehicle seat component)
14A Back (rear of seat back)
18 Cushion pad (pad)
20 Cushion surface 22A Surface piece (seat surface)
22B Skin piece (seat skin)
22C Skin piece (seat skin)
22D Skin piece (seat skin)
22E Skin piece (seat skin)
22F Skin piece (seat skin)
28E Sewing section 30 RFID tag (product information tag)
32 Seat back pad (pad)
34 Seat back skin 36A Skin piece (seat skin)
36B Skin piece (seat skin)
36C Skin piece (sheet skin)
38 Side portion 40 Side portion 44 Back portion (back of seat back)
44A Skin piece (seat skin)
44B Skin piece (seat skin)
44C Skin piece (seat skin)
48 Covering member (seat skin)
52 RFID tag (product information tag)

Claims (6)

a pad formed of a foam material and configured to support an occupant seated on the seat body;
a seat cover covering the pad and formed by sewing a plurality of cover pieces together;
a product information tag on which product information of the seat body is recorded, the product information tag being provided on the inside of the seat skin and being readable from the outside while being housed inside the seat body ;
A vehicle seat component having: The vehicle seat component according to claim 1, wherein the product information tag is an RFID tag. A vehicle seat component according to claim 2, wherein the RFID tag is sewn to a sewn portion where adjacent cover pieces are sewn together. The vehicle seat component according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A vehicle seat comprising at least one of a seat cushion that supports the lower back and thighs of an occupant and a seat back that supports the upper body of the occupant seated on the seat cushion. The vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein the product information tag is provided on the underside of the seat cushion. A vehicle seat according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the product information tag is provided on the rear side of the seat back.