JP2007261388A - Support structure of vehicular seat - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a support structure of a vehicular seat capable of improving operability and security. <P>SOLUTION: The support structure 10 for the vehicular seat comprises: the vehicular seat 12 for a crew to sit; a seat lifter mechanism 28 for supporting the vehicular seat 12 while being allowed to adjust a vertical position of the vehicular seat 12 with respect to a vehicle body of the vehicular seat 12 in a seated state; and a dumper 40 provided between the vehicular seat 12 and the vehicle body. The dumper 40 biases the vehicular seat 12 upward by a biasing force of a built-in compression coil spring. A larger resistance force is generated when the vehicular seat 12 is displaced downward than when the seat is displaced upward. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a support structure for a vehicle seat mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.

In a vehicle seat having a height adjuster, a technique is known in which a gas damper is provided between an upper frame and a lower frame, and low-frequency vibration is absorbed by the gas damper (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-7-266945 JP 2003-48466 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-328028

  However, in the conventional technology as described above, since the gas damper itself is a support that supports the upper frame with respect to the lower frame, the operation force when adjusting the seat height and the holding force (proof strength) that prevents the seat from moving relative to the vehicle body. ) Could not be supported.

  In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat support structure that can improve operability and safety.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle seat support structure according to the first aspect of the invention includes a seat body for occupant seating and a seat that supports the seat body so that the position of the vehicle body in the vertical direction relative to the vehicle body can be adjusted. A height adjusting mechanism, a biasing means provided between the seat body and the vehicle body, for biasing the seat body upward in the vehicle body vertical direction; and provided between the seat body and the vehicle body; Attenuating means for generating a descending resistance greater than the ascending resistance generated when the seat body is displaced upward as the main body is displaced downward in the vehicle vertical direction; Yes.

  In the vehicle seat support structure according to the first aspect, when the seated occupant operates the seat height adjusting mechanism, the vertical position, that is, the height of the seat body with respect to the vehicle body is adjusted, and the seat body is held at the adjusted position. Here, since the vehicle seat includes the urging means and the damping means, the urging force of the urging means acts as a rising assist force when the seat body is raised with respect to the vehicle body. On the other hand, when the seat body is lowered with respect to the vehicle body, it can be lowered while supporting the seat body by a descending resistance force (a broad damping force including friction force) that is greater than the ascending resistance force, making fine adjustment easy. become. That is, the operability is improved both when the seat is raised and lowered.

  Further, for example, even when a downward load that cannot be supported by the height adjusting mechanism is input to the seat body, the biasing means and the damping means support a part of the downward load and can suppress the lowering of the seat body. . Thereby, for example, the safety at the time of rear-end collision of the vehicle can be improved.

  Thus, in the vehicle seat support structure according to the first aspect, it is possible to suppress the rearward inclination of the seat back at the time of the vehicle rearward collision.

  A vehicle seat support structure according to a second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle seat support structure according to the first aspect, wherein the damping means is configured such that the downward displacement speed of the seat body in the vertical direction of the vehicle body is greater than a predetermined speed. Has a characteristic that the damping coefficient increases when the value is larger.

  In the vehicle seat support structure according to claim 2, when the speed of the downward displacement of the seat is higher than the predetermined speed, the damping coefficient increases compared to the case where the speed of the downward displacement of the seat is smaller than the predetermined speed. When a large downward load is input to the seat body, the lowering of the seat body can be effectively suppressed (delayed). Thereby, for example, the safety at the time of rear-end collision of the vehicle can be further improved.

  As described above, the vehicle seat support structure according to the present invention has an excellent effect that operability and safety can be improved.

  A vehicle seat support structure 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. It should be noted that arrows FR and UP appropriately shown in the drawings respectively indicate the forward direction (traveling direction) and the upward direction of the automobile to which the vehicle seat support structure 10 is applied.

  FIG. 2 shows a side view of a vehicle seat 12 as a seat body disposed in a vehicle cabin. As shown in this figure, the vehicle seat 12 is configured such that a lower end of a seat back 16 is connected to a rear end portion of a seat cushion 14 for a passenger of an automobile to sit through a recliner (reclining device) (not shown). Has been. Thereby, the inclination angle of the seat back 16 with respect to the seat cushion 14 can be adjusted.

  The seat cushion 14 includes a lower arm (also referred to as a seat cushion frame) 18, and a cushion material 20 is supported by the lower arm 18. The lower arm 18, that is, the seat cushion 14 is connected to and supported by the seat slide 22 via a seat lifter mechanism 28 as a seat height adjusting mechanism described later. The seat slide 22 includes a lower rail 25 fixed to the vehicle body floor 24 and an upper rail 26 supported (guided) by the lower rail 25 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. It is intended for adjustment.

  The seat lifter mechanism 28 includes front and rear link members 30 and 32 that connect the lower arm 18 and the upper rail 26. The front link member 30 has an upper end connected to the front portion 18A of the lower arm 18 so as to be rotatable around the link shaft 30A by a link shaft (link pin) 30A, and a lower end connected to the link shaft 30B by a link shaft 30B. It is connected to the front portion 26A of the upper rail 26 so as to be rotatable around. On the other hand, the rear link member 32 is connected to the rear portion 18B of the lower arm 18 so that the upper end of the rear link member 32 can be rotated around the lifter rod 33 by the lifter rod 33, and the lower end of the rear link member 32 is rotated about the link shaft 32A by the link shaft 32A. It is connected to the rear portion 26B of the upper rail 26 as possible. The lifter rods 33 are connected to each other so as to synchronize the operations of the rear link members 32 provided on the seat side portion.

  As described above, in the seat lifter mechanism 28 of the vehicle seat support structure 10, the upper rail 26, the front link member 30, the lower arm 18, and the rear link member 32 constitute a four-bar link having the upper rail 26 as a fixed link. The seat lifter mechanism 28 has an operation range between a posture in which the front and rear link members 30 and 32 are inclined backward by a predetermined angle and a substantially upright posture. ), The vertical position (height) of the lower arm 18 (seat cushion 14) relative to the upper rail 26 (vehicle body floor 24) can be adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a lifter gear 34 is integrally provided on the rear link member 32. The lifter gear 34 is formed in a substantially sector plate shape with outer teeth 34 </ b> A formed along an arc around the lifter rod 33, and the rear link member 32 is positioned so that the outer teeth 34 </ b> A are located on the front side with respect to the lifter rod 33. It extends forward from the top. External teeth 34 </ b> A of the lifter gear 34 are meshed with a pinion 36 </ b> A that is an output portion of the lifter mechanism 36.

  As a result, when the pinion 36A rotates in the direction of arrow A, the outer teeth 34A rotate in the direction of arrow B around the lifter rod 33 and the rear link member 32 moves in the direction of arrow C (upright direction), so that the lower arm 18 The upper rail 26 is raised. When the pinion 36A rotates in the direction of arrow D opposite to the arrow A, the external teeth 34A rotate in the direction of arrow E around the lifter rod 33, and the rear link member 32 moves in the direction of arrow F (rearward tilt direction). By doing so, the lower arm 18 is lowered with respect to the upper rail 26.

  The lifter mechanism 36 is configured to convert the swinging motion of the lifter knob 38 as an operation unit into rotation of the pinion 36A in the direction of arrow A or arrow D. The lifter knob 38 is normally held at a neutral position whose longitudinal direction is substantially coincident with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and can be rotated from the neutral position to the arrow G or arrow H side so as to move up and down the front end 38A. Has been. Although the description of the structure is omitted, the lifter mechanism 36 constitutes a so-called pump type lifter mechanism, which converts the operation from the neutral position of the lifter knob 38 to the arrow G side into the rotation of the pinion 36A in the direction of arrow A. The operation from the neutral position of the lifter knob 38 to the arrow H side is converted into the rotation of the pinion 36A in the direction of arrow D, and the return side operation to the neutral position of the lifter knob 38 is not transmitted to the pinion 36A.

  The seat lifter mechanism 28 configured as described above raises the seat cushion 14 (vehicle seat 12) relative to the vehicle body floor 24 by a reciprocating operation between the neutral position of the lifter knob 38 and the operation position on the arrow G side. By reciprocating operation between the neutral position of the lifter knob 38 and the operation position on the arrow H side, the seat cushion 14 (vehicle seat 12) is lowered with respect to the vehicle body floor 24, and the operation of the lifter knob 38 is stopped (for example, the lifter mechanism 36). The vertical position of the seat cushion 14 relative to the vehicle body floor 24 is held against the seating load (by internal structure, self-locking between the external teeth 34A and the pinion 36A, etc.). Therefore, the support structure 10 is configured such that a seated person (vehicle occupant) can adjust the seating height with respect to the vehicle body floor 24 while sitting on the vehicle seat 12.

  Between the upper rail 26 (seat slide 22), which is a vehicle body side member, and the rear link member 32, which is a vehicle seat 12 side member (a member that moves relative to the vehicle body as the seat height is adjusted). A damper 40 is provided as a biasing means and a damping means. The damper 40 includes a cylinder 42 and an expansion / contraction rod 44 provided so as to be able to advance / retract (extend / contract) on the upper side with respect to the cylinder 42. The lower end of the cylinder 42 is supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 46 along the seat width direction (vehicle width direction) with respect to the upper rail 26, and the upper end, which is a free end of the telescopic rod 44, is a rear link. The member 32 is supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 48 along the seat width direction (vehicle width direction).

  The damper 40 is configured to have an elastic characteristic (static characteristic) shown in FIG. 5 and a damping characteristic shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the damper 40 has substantially pure spring characteristics (characteristics in which elastic force is dominant) on the tension (elongation) side, and a damping force (including frictional force) on the compression side. In addition, an upward load (resistance force) larger than that in the case of tension is generated. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the compression speed exceeds the predetermined speed Vs, the damper 40 has an attenuation coefficient (slope of the diagram in FIG. 4) that is greater than the case where the compression speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed Vs. A speed-dependent damping characteristic is generated.

  Hereinafter, a specific configuration example of the damper 40 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, a piston 50 is disposed in the cylinder 42 of the damper 40 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 42, and the piston 50 is connected to an end portion of the telescopic rod 44 located in 42. Has been. A compression coil spring 52 as a biasing means is disposed in a compressed state below the piston 50 in the cylinder 42 (a lower oil chamber 42B described later). 42 is biased toward the expansion side.

  Furthermore, the cylinder 42 is filled with damper oil. That is, the upper side and the lower side of the piston 50 in the cylinder 42 are an upper oil chamber 42A and a lower oil chamber 42B that expand and contract by sliding the piston 50 with respect to the cylinder 42, respectively. The piston 50 is formed with a first communication path 54 and a second communication path 55 that communicate with the upper and lower oil chambers 42A and 42B. The first communication path 54 and the second communication path 55 have a flow passage cross-sectional area. The first orifice 54A and the second orifice 55A are reduced. The piston 50 is formed with a third orifice 56 penetrating in the thickness direction. The flow resistance (pressure loss) of the second orifice 55A is set to be larger than the flow resistance of the first orifice 54A, and the flow resistance of the third orifice 56 is sufficiently larger than the flow resistance of the second orifice 55A. It is set.

  A first valve 58 capable of closing the first orifice 54 </ b> A is disposed in the first communication passage 54 of the piston 50, and a second valve 60 capable of closing the orifice 55 </ b> A in the second communication passage 55. Is arranged. The first valve 58 is guided by a guide (not shown) so as to be able to move up and down in the first communication passage 54 and not to be dropped by the drop-off preventing piece 54B, and when the piston 50 is displaced upward (sliding) with respect to the cylinder 42. Opens the first orifice 54A while engaging with the drop-off preventing piece 54B, and closes the first orifice 54A when the piston 50 is displaced downward with respect to the cylinder 42.

  On the other hand, the second valve 60 is supported by a guide (not shown) so as to be able to move up and down in the second communication passage 55, and is held at a position where the orifice 55 </ b> A is opened by the compression coil spring 62. The compression coil spring 62 causes the second valve 60 to move to the second orifice due to the load that the second valve 60 receives from the damper oil when the expansion rod 44, that is, the piston 50 is displaced downward with respect to the cylinder 42 at a speed exceeding the predetermined speed Vs. The spring constant is set so that it is compressed to the position where 55A is closed.

  As described above, in the damper 40, when the telescopic rod 44 is extended with respect to the cylinder 42, the damper oil mainly flows through both the first orifice 54A and the orifice 55A and generates almost no damping force. When the telescopic rod 44 is shortened, the damper oil mainly flows through the orifice 55A and generates a large damping force as compared with the expansion. That is, the elastic characteristic shown in FIG. 5 is realized.

  In the damper 40, when the telescopic rod 44 is shortened with respect to the cylinder 42 at a speed exceeding the predetermined speed Vs, the second valve 60 closes the orifice 55A so that the damper oil flows only through the third orifice 56. Thus, a configuration capable of obtaining a large attenuation coefficient, that is, a configuration having the attenuation characteristics shown in FIG. 4 is realized.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  In the vehicle seat support structure 10 configured as described above, when the vehicle occupant raises the vehicle seat 12 with respect to the vehicle body floor 24, the vehicle occupant keeps the lifter knob 38 in the neutral position and the arrow while sitting on the seat cushion 14. The swing operation is performed with respect to the operation position on the G side, and the operation ends when a desired vertical position is reached. At the time of this raising operation, the urging force of the compression coil spring 52 constituting the damper 40 is acting upward, so that the urging force acts as an operation assisting force. As a result, the seat lifting operation force that requires a large operation force to angularly displace the front and rear link members 30 and 32 from the rearward tilting posture to the upright posture is alleviated, and the operability is improved by this helper (assist) function.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle occupant lowers the vehicle seat 12 with respect to the vehicle body floor 24, the vehicle occupant swings the lifter knob 38 between the neutral position and the operation position on the arrow H side while sitting on the seat cushion 14. When the desired vertical position is reached, the operation is terminated. During the lowering operation, the damper 40 generates a damping force associated with the damper oil flowing through the second orifice 55A to support the vehicle seat 12 (occupant) from below. Thereby, the rapid lowering of the vehicle seat 12 with the occupant seated is prevented, and the fine adjustment of the seat vertical position can be easily performed.

  As described above, in the vehicle seat support structure 10 provided with the damper 40, the operability is improved by receiving the helper action (auxiliary force) of the damper 40 in both the raising operation and the lowering operation. Further, in the configuration in which only the spring is provided for the auxiliary force load at the time of the raising operation, the spring rattle is felt at the time of operation (according to the intermittent operation by the pump type lifter). Since the damper 40 has a damping function, the feeling of looseness of the compression coil spring 52 is suppressed, and the operation feeling is improved.

  When a vehicle to which the vehicle seat support structure 10 is applied reaches a rear collision (rear collision), an impact load is applied to which the occupant tends to sink downward. In the seat lifter mechanism 28 that includes the front and rear link members 30 and 32 that support the vehicle seat 12 in a rearward tilting posture, the impact load exceeds the proof stress, and the vehicle seat 12 is likely to be lowered. 10, when the descending speed exceeds the predetermined speed Vs, the damper 40 generates a damping force caused by the damper oil flowing through the third orifice 56 to support the vehicle seat 12 (occupant) from below. This prevents or suppresses (delays) the lowering of the vehicle seat 12 during a rear collision. For this reason, in an automobile to which the vehicle seat support structure 10 is applied, an occupant seated on the vehicle seat 12 is well protected by a safety device such as a seat belt device, an airbag device, or a headrest at the time of a rear collision. The

  Thus, in the vehicle seat support structure 10 according to the first embodiment, operability and safety can be improved.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The parts and portions that are basically the same as those in the first embodiment or the previous configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment or the previous configuration, and the description thereof is omitted. May be omitted.

  The principal part of the support structure 70 of the vehicle seat which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is shown by the side view corresponding to FIG. As shown in this figure, the vehicle seat support structure 70 is the vehicle seat support structure according to the first embodiment in that the upper end of the telescopic rod 44 constituting the damper 40 is connected to the lower arm 18. Different from 10. The damper 40 is configured to take a substantially upright position at the vertical position of the vehicle seat 12 that is an intermediate portion of the adjustment range of the seat lifter mechanism 28. Other configurations of the vehicle seat support structure 70 are the same as the corresponding configurations of the vehicle seat support structure 10.

  Therefore, the vehicle seat support structure 70 according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effect by the same operation as the vehicle seat support structure 10 according to the first embodiment. Further, since the damper 40 takes a substantially upright posture in which the telescopic rod 44 can be operated along the direction of impact load input at the time of rear impact, it effectively supports the impact load that attempts to lower (drop) the vehicle seat 12. can do. Further, since the connecting portion of the telescopic rod 44 with the lower arm 18 is separated from the connecting portion of the cylinder 42 with the upper rail 26, the telescopic rod 44 is connected to the middle portion of the rear link member 32. As compared with, a large support moment can be obtained with a small generated damping force.

  The principal part of the support structure 80 of the vehicle seat which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is shown by the side view corresponding to FIG. As shown in this figure, the vehicle seat support structure 80 is the vehicle seat support structure according to the first embodiment in that the upper end of the telescopic rod 44 constituting the damper 40 is connected to the lifter rod 33. Different from 10. Other configurations of the vehicle seat support structure 80 are the same as the corresponding configurations of the vehicle seat support structure 10.

  Therefore, the vehicle seat support structure 80 according to the third embodiment can achieve the same effect by the same operation as the vehicle seat support structure 10 according to the first embodiment. In addition, since the connecting portion of the telescopic rod 44 and the rear link member 32 is separated from the connecting portion of the cylinder 42 to the upper rail 26 as compared with the first embodiment, a large support moment is generated with a small generated damping force. Obtainable. Further, since the telescopic rod 44 is connected to the lifter rod 33, the rotating shaft 48 is not required, and the number of parts is reduced.

  The principal part of the support structure 90 of the vehicle seat which concerns on 4th Embodiment is shown by the side view corresponding to FIG. As shown in this figure, the vehicle seat support structure 90 differs from the vehicle seat support structure 10 according to the first embodiment in that a rotary damper 92 is provided instead of the damper 40. The rotary damper 92 is provided between the lower arm 18 and the lifter rod 33. With respect to the relative angular displacement between the lower arm 18 and the lifter rod 33, the horizontal axis in FIG. It has such characteristics.

  Although a detailed description of the structure is omitted, the rotary damper 92 includes the first orifice 54A, the second orifice 55A, the third orifice 56, the first valve 58, the second valve, and the rotary vane rotatably supported in the housing. A variable orifice mechanism corresponding to the valve 60 is provided, and an elastic member corresponding to the compression coil spring 52 is incorporated, and an elastic characteristic such that the horizontal axis in FIG. 5 is read as angular displacement and the vertical axis is read as torque, In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis is read as angular velocity, and the vertical axis is read as torque. Other configurations of the vehicle seat support structure 90 are the same as the corresponding configurations of the vehicle seat support structure 10.

  Therefore, the vehicle seat support structure 90 according to the fourth embodiment can achieve the same effect by the same operation as the vehicle seat support structure 10 according to the first embodiment. Further, by using the rotary damper 92, the installation space for the urging means and the attenuating means can be reduced.

  In each of the above embodiments, an example in which the biasing means and the damping means are configured by one damper 40 and the rotary damper 92 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the biasing means (for example, a compression coil) The spring 52) and damping means (excluding the compression coil spring 52 from the damper 40) may be provided separately and independently. Therefore, for example, a combination of the compression coil spring and the rotary damper may be configured such that the urging direction of the urging unit and the damping force acting direction of the damping unit are different. Needless to say, the configuration of the damping means in the present invention is not limited to the damper 40 and the rotary damper 92, and various configurations can be adopted.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the example in which the seat lifter mechanism 28 has a four-bar link structure having the front and rear link members 30 and 32 has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and height adjustment mechanisms having various configurations are provided. The present invention can be applied to a vehicle seat support structure.

It is a side view which expands and shows the principal part of the support structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a side view showing a schematic overall configuration of a vehicle seat support structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the damper which comprises the support structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a diagram which shows the damping characteristic of the damper which comprises the support structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a diagram which shows the elastic characteristic of the damper which comprises the support structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which expands and shows the principal part of the support structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which expands and shows the principal part of the support structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which expands and shows the principal part of the support structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Vehicle Seat Support Structure 12 Vehicle Seat (Seat Body)
28 Seat lifter mechanism (Sheet height adjustment mechanism)
40 damper (biasing means, damping means)
50 piston (damping means)
52 Compression coil spring (biasing means)
70, 80, 90 Seat support structure for vehicle 92 Rotary damper (biasing means, damping means)

Claims (2)

A seat body for passenger seating;
A seat height adjustment mechanism that supports the seat body so that the position of the vehicle body in the vertical direction relative to the vehicle body can be adjusted;
An urging means provided between the seat body and the vehicle body, for urging the seat body upward in the vehicle body vertical direction;
From the rising resistance force that is provided between the seat body and the vehicle body, and is generated when the seat body is displaced upward in the vehicle body vertical direction as the seat body is displaced downward in the vehicle body vertical direction. A damping means for generating a large descending resistance force,
A vehicle seat support structure.   2. The vehicle seat support structure according to claim 1, wherein the damping means has a characteristic that a damping coefficient increases when a downward displacement speed of the seat body in a vertical direction of the vehicle body is larger than a predetermined speed.

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