JP2000158995A - Electric ottoman device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify a structure of an ottoman provided toward the front end of a seat cushion, and to improve its impact-absorbing characteristic in a collision in front of a vehicle. SOLUTION: A front end part of a seat cushion is formed a housing recessed part. An ottoman comprising an ottoman main body capable of developing forward and an auxiliary unit (a sliding body) provided to the ottoman main body to freely move back and forth is almost vertically housed in the housing recessed part. A pair of turning links 9A, 9B hold the ottoman main body such that a slant of the ottoman main body becomes horizontal as it goes forward. A main link 26 formed with a buckling part 26e is turnably provided between a nut 23 screwing on a screw shaft 22 constituting a linear moving mechanism 17 and a turning link 27 provided in a slide frame 14 of the auxiliary unit. A support bracket 28 fixed to the ottoman main body is turnably connected to the main link 26 on the nut 23 side of the turning link 27.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric ottoman device in which an ottoman is provided at the front of a seat cushion so as to be deployable forward, and this ottoman is rotated between a footrest position and a storage position by an electric drive mechanism. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional electric ottoman device, there is one described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-206157. In this conventional example, a movable mechanism of a slider disposed to extend in the front-rear direction is moved back and forth by an electric drive mechanism to operate a link mechanism composed of six link arms formed in a flat plate shape. There is described an apparatus for changing the posture of a footrest of a chair in which the posture of the footrest can be changed between a storage posture and a footrest posture.

[0003]

However, in the conventional posture changing device, the posture of the footrest, that is, the ottoman, can be changed between the storage posture and the footrest posture by the electric drive mechanism. Since the link mechanism connecting the footrest and the slider is configured by combining six flat link arms, there is a disadvantage that the configuration is complicated.

Further, since the footrest is mounted so as to protrude forward from the front end of the seat cushion, for example, when applied to the front seat of a vehicle, the footrest protrudes forward even when the ottoman is in the storage position. The space in front of the foot is narrow, and the space in front of the foot that protrudes forward becomes narrow,
In particular, when mounted on a vehicle, there is a risk that the instrument panel at the front of the vehicle compartment may move rearward and come into contact with the ottoman when a collision occurs in front of the vehicle, and at this time, the impact force is absorbed by the ottoman side There is an unsolved problem that cannot be done.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to pay attention to the unsolved problem of the conventional example, and it is possible to widen a space in front of a seated person's foot at a footrest position of an ottoman, An object of the present invention is to provide an electric ottoman device capable of absorbing an impact force when transmitted, and further simplifying a link mechanism.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an electric ottoman device according to a first aspect of the present invention has an ottoman expandably connected to a front portion of a seat cushion. The ottoman is deployed from the storage position stored in the storage recess formed in the front part of the seat cushion to the foot mounting position in the electric ottoman device in which the ottoman is deployed between the foot rest position and the storage position by the electric drive mechanism. The ottoman itself,
A linear moving mechanism having a movable member that moves in the vehicle front-rear direction by an electric motor, and a linear moving mechanism that includes a slider that is provided to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the ottoman main body, and expands the ottoman main body from a storage position to a footrest position A second link mechanism connected to a moving element of the linear moving mechanism to expand the ottoman main body from the storage position to the foot rest position side, and to project the slide body forward from the ottoman main body. A link mechanism, wherein the second link mechanism is formed with a buckling portion that buckles outward when a load greater than an allowable load from the front is applied.

In the electric ottoman device according to the first aspect, a sliding member is slidably provided on the ottoman main body, and when the sliding member contracts toward the ottoman main body at the storage position, the ottoman main body is moved toward the front end side of the seat cushion. It can be securely stored in the storage recess provided, and it is possible to secure a wide foot space for the occupant. From this state, the ottoman main body is expanded to the footrest position by the link member, so that the sliding body becomes the ottoman main body. It projects more forward,
The front space can be enlarged by the size of the storage recess, and a wide footrest width can be secured.

In addition, since the buckling portion is formed to buckle outward when a load greater than the allowable load from the front is applied to the second link mechanism, the ottoman body is allowed to buckle when a collision occurs on the front side of the vehicle. When the above impact force is transmitted,
When the buckling portion buckles outward, the impact force is absorbed and safety can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric ottoman apparatus according to the first aspect, the second link mechanism has one end rotatably connected to a movable element of the linear moving mechanism. A link, a rotating link rotatably supported between the tip of the main link and the sliding body, and one end fixed to the ottoman body and the other end extending along the ottoman body being the main link. And a bracket which is rotatably connected to the movable member side from the rotating link of the link, wherein a buckling portion is formed on the main link.

[0010] In the electric ottoman apparatus according to the second aspect, the forward deployment of the ottoman body and the forward sliding of the sliding body can be simultaneously performed by the second link mechanism, thereby simplifying the configuration. Be able to
Since the buckling portion is formed in the main link, the amount of buckling can be increased, and the shock absorbing characteristics can be enhanced.

In the electric ottoman device according to a third aspect, in the invention according to the second aspect, the main link includes a pair of left and right side plate portions and front and rear end portions of the side plate portions excluding a center portion in the front and rear direction. And a buckling portion formed at a central portion of the pair of side plates in the front-rear direction and buckling to the left and right outside.

In the electric ottoman device according to the third aspect, since the buckling portion is formed at the center in the front-rear direction of the pair of left and right side plates forming the main link, a long buckling portion is formed. And the impact force absorption characteristics can be improved.

Further, in the electric ottoman device according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 3, the buckling portion is
It is characterized in that it is constituted by a V-shaped bulging portion bulging outward.

In the electric ottoman device according to the fourth aspect, since the buckling portion is constituted by a V-shaped bulging portion bulging outward, when an impact force is transmitted to the main link from the front side. It easily buckles outward and can reliably absorb the impact force.

Further, in the electric ottoman device according to claim 5, in the invention according to claim 3, the buckling portion is formed by a curved bulging portion bulging outward in an inverted U-shape. It is characterized by.

In the electric ottoman device according to the fifth aspect, since the buckling portion is formed by a curved bulging portion bulging outward in an inverted U-shape, an impact force is transmitted to the main link from the front side. When this is done, buckling to the outside becomes easy, and the impact force can be reliably absorbed.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.
Is a passenger seat of the vehicle, and a seat cushion 2
The seat back 3 can be tilted to the rear end side by, for example, a reclining mechanism (not shown), and can be rotated between a storage position stored in a storage recess 2 a formed in a front end portion of the seat cushion 2 and a foot rest position. And an ottoman 4 arranged in the.

Here, the seat cushion 2 has a cushion frame 5 disposed inside the seat cushion 2 supported on a pair of left and right seat slides 6 disposed on the floor of the vehicle body and extending in the front-rear direction so as to be adjustable in height. Have been.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ottoman 4 has a first support arm 8 which is fixed to the left and right ends of the front end side of the cushion frame 5 so as to project forward and downward, and which is inclined at about 30 ° with respect to a horizontal plane. The ottoman main body 10 is supported by the ottoman main body 10 so as to be freely deployable via a link mechanism 9, and an auxiliary unit 11 as a sliding member is provided on the ottoman main body 10 so as to be able to move forward and backward.

Further, the first link mechanism 9 is bent inward at a tip thereof in a state substantially perpendicular to the support arm 8 rotatably supported at a predetermined interval on the support arm 8. It has a pair of rotating links 9A and 9B having different lengths formed in a U-shape, and the front ends of the rotating links 9A and 9B are open at the front end disposed in the ottoman body 10. Is rotatably connected to a support arm 13 attached to the left and right rear end sides of the support frame 12.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the connecting relationship between the rotating links 9A and 9B is such that the ottoman body 10 is stored in the storing recess 2a of the seat cushion 2 and the rotating links 9A and 9B are connected. Is close to, for example, about 70 ° with respect to a horizontal plane, and a straight line connecting the connecting points to the support arm 13 becomes an acute angle almost nearly parallel to a straight line connecting the connecting points to the support arm 8, and The distance between the connecting points of the arms 8 is
The distance between the connection points is selected to be short, whereby the ottoman body 10 is maintained in a state of being inclined by about 70 ° with respect to the horizontal line.

When the ottoman body 10 is unfolded forward from the stowed position, the rotative links 9A and 9B are gradually separated from each other by the clockwise rotation, so that the ottoman body 10 is gradually tilted. Is gradually reduced to a state close to a horizontal state, and the rotating links 9A and 9
The ottoman body 10 and the support arm 8 are substantially parallel to each other with the bases of B being substantially perpendicular to the support arm 8.

Further, the auxiliary unit 11 has a rear end slidably held in left and right rod portions 12a of a U-shaped support frame 12 having an open front end disposed inside the ottoman body 10. A sliding frame 14 formed in a square frame shape by a U-shaped pipe 14a and a connecting rod 14b made of an angle material connecting the open ends thereof, and receives the calf of a seated person on the sliding frame 14. The foot rest cushion 14C is mounted.

On the other hand, a support bracket 15 is mounted on the lower surface of the front side of the cushion frame 5 at the center in the vehicle width direction, and the support bracket 15 has an inverted U-shaped cross section extending downward and rearward. Is disposed, and a linear moving mechanism 17 is disposed in the case body 16.

The linear moving mechanism 17 is provided for the supporting case 1
6, a gear unit 19 for reducing the rotational driving force of the electric motor 18 is pivotally mounted on the rear end side of the support case body 16. The front end of the output rotation shaft 20 protruding from the front end of the gear unit 19 is rotatable on the front end of the support case body 16. Is connected to the other end of the double screw shaft 22 supported by the shaft. A nut 23 as a mover is screwed to the double screw shaft 22.

A second link mechanism 25 for moving the ottoman body 10 and the auxiliary unit 11 is connected to the nut 23. This second link mechanism 25
Has a forward extending main link 26 which is rotatably mounted in a vertical plane to the nut 23.

As shown in FIG. 6, the main link 26 includes left and right side plate portions 26a and 26b disposed in parallel with a predetermined interval in the left and right direction, and the left and right side plate portions 26a and 26b.
b including connecting plate portions 26c and 26d connected on the front side and the rear side except for the central portion in the front-rear direction of FIG.
Buckling portions 26 bulging outward at the center portions of 6a and 26b, respectively.
e, 26f are formed.

Each of the buckling portions 26e and 26f is formed by bending a central portion of the left and right side plate portions 26a and 26b in the front-rear direction with a relatively long length outward in a U-shape.
When an impact load equal to or more than the allowable load is transmitted from the front to the buckle 6, the buckling portions 26e and 26f bulge outward and buckle, so that the axial length of the main link 26 is reduced. ing.

The leading end of the main link 26 is connected to the connecting rod 1 of the sliding frame 14 of the auxiliary unit 11 described above.
4b, the ottoman body 10 is rotatably connected to a free end of a rotation link 27 that is parallel to the sliding frame 14 in a state where the ottoman body 10 is in the storage position.

A support bracket 28 is formed at a position rearward from the distal end of the main link 26 by a predetermined distance toward the lower surface of the center of the support frame 12 of the ottoman body 10.
Are rotatably connected.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
Now, as shown in FIG. 4, a nut 23 is screwed on the base side of the double screw shaft 22, and in this state, the ottoman body 10 is inserted into the storage recess 2 a of the seat cushion 2 via the main link 26. It is assumed that the seat cushion 2 is located at a storage position substantially along the front end of the seat cushion 2 inclined about 70 ° with respect to the horizontal line.

In this state, the auxiliary unit 11 is configured such that the sliding frame 14 is connected to the support frame 12 of the ottoman body 10.
The auxiliary unit 11 and the ottoman main body 10 are brought into close contact with each other, and the upper portion of the ottoman main body 10 is entirely covered by the footrest cushion portion 14C of the auxiliary unit 11, and the width between the two becomes the shortest width. , The lower end of the auxiliary unit 11 is separated from the floor surface.

In this retracted state, the output rotation shaft 20 of the gear unit 19 is rotated, for example, clockwise by driving the electric motor 18, for example, in the forward direction, so that the double screw shaft 22 is rotated.
Is rotated clockwise, the nut 23 is moved forward accordingly. The main link 26 is also advanced by the advance of the nut 23, so that the ottoman body 10 connected to the main link 26 by the support bracket 28 is pushed forward from the state shown in FIG.

As a result, the rotating links 9A and 9B are rotated clockwise, whereby the support arm 1 is rotated.
The inclination angle of the straight line connecting the connecting points of the rotating links 9A and 9B in 3 gradually goes to the horizontal direction, and accordingly, the ottoman body 10 also gradually goes to the horizontal state while being pushed forward.

As the tilt angle of the ottoman body 10 gradually moves in the horizontal direction, the angle between the main link 26 and the support bracket 28 of the ottoman body 10 gradually increases, and the auxiliary unit 11 is gradually slid forward, so that the entire width of the ottoman 4 including the ottoman body 10 and the auxiliary unit 11 is increased, and the footrest area is increased.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the nut 23 advances to the front end side of the double screw shaft 22, the advanced position is detected by a position sensor such as a limit switch (not shown). Is stopped, the rotation of the double screw shaft 22 by the gear unit 19 is stopped, the forward deployment of the ottoman 4 is stopped, and the ottoman 4 is stopped at a predetermined footrest position.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the auxiliary unit 11 protrudes largely forward with respect to the ottoman main body 10, and the calf of the occupant can be supported by the foot rest cushion portion 14C, so that the occupant can relax. You can take a posture.

In order to return from the foot rest position to the stowed position, the electric motor 18 is driven in reverse to rotate the gear unit 1.
By rotating the output rotation shaft 20 of FIG. 9 in a counterclockwise direction, the nut 23 is retracted, and in response to this, the ottoman body 10 moves backward from the footrest position of FIG. The sliding frame 14 of the auxiliary unit 11 is supported by the supporting frame 12 of the ottoman body 10.
The auxiliary unit 11 moves toward the ottoman body 10 by being gradually inserted into the inside.

Thereafter, when the nut 23 reaches the storage position shown in FIG. 4, this is detected by a position detection sensor (not shown), the energization of the electric motor 18 is stopped, and its rotation is stopped. When the rotation of the output rotation shaft 20 of the unit 19 is stopped, the rotation of the double screw shaft 22 is also stopped, the retraction of the nut 23 is stopped, and the ottoman 4 is moved while the auxiliary unit 11 is in contact with the ottoman body 10. The seat is stopped at the storage position stored in the storage recess 2a of the seat cushion 2.

By the way, when the ottoman 4 is deployed at a predetermined footrest position and a collision occurs in front of the vehicle,
As the instrument panel moves backward,
When the auxiliary unit 11 comes into contact with the front end of the auxiliary unit 11, the auxiliary unit 11 is moved rearward, so that the main link 26 connected to the auxiliary unit 11 via the rotation link 27 is also moved rearward.

At this time, the left and right side plate portions 26 of the main link 26
The buckling portion 26 bulging outward is provided at the center of the
e, 26f, the buckling portions 26
e, 26f project outward, so that the main link 26
Of the auxiliary unit 1
1 moves rearward, and the shock absorbing characteristics of the entire vehicle body can be improved.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, by rotating the double screw shaft 22 to advance and retreat the nut 23, the forward movement of the ottoman body 10 and the forward sliding of the auxiliary unit 11 can be achieved. Can be performed, and the rotation of the ottoman 4 and the width expansion can be performed simultaneously with a simple link mechanism.

Further, since the ottoman 4 is stored in the storage recess 2a formed in the seat cushion 2 at the storage position, it is possible to prevent the free space at the foot of the occupant from becoming narrow.

Further, since the ottoman body 10 is supported by the first link mechanism 9 having the pair of rotating links 9A and 9B, the ottoman body 10 is pushed forward when the ottoman body 10 is unfolded forward from the storage position. Since the tilt angle is gradually reduced while the ottoman body 10 is rotatably supported at one point, the amount of forward projection can be increased.

Further, the main link 2 of the second link mechanism 25
6, the buckling portions 26e and 26f buckle outward during a collision in front of the vehicle, so that the axial length of the main link 26 is reduced.
Since the auxiliary unit 11 can move rearward, the rearward movement of the instrument panel is allowed, and the shock absorbing characteristics can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the buckling portions 26e and 26f of the main link 26 are constituted by relatively long bent portions is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. 7, it can be formed in a short rectangular shape, and further, as shown in FIG.
Even if the main link 26 is bent in the shape of a letter and bulges outward, the main link 26 is shortened when an impact load is transmitted from the front, and the same operational effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the buckling portions 26e and 26f of the main link 26 are formed as outward bent portions has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. , 26b are provided with a concave portion of a predetermined length inside the central portion to form a thin portion,
This can be a buckling part.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the auxiliary unit 11 is slidably connected to the ottoman main body 10 by the sliding frame 14 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 11 are nested in the ottoman body 10 so that the auxiliary unit 1
It is also possible to prevent a large step from being generated between the ottoman body 10 and the ottoman body 10 when the nosepiece 1 is advanced.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the double screw shaft 22 is applied as the linear moving mechanism 17 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a single screw shaft or a triple screw shaft is applied. And a ball screw may be used instead of the screw shaft.

[0050]

As described above, according to the electric ottoman device according to the first aspect, the sliding body is slidably provided on the ottoman main body, and this sliding body contracts toward the ottoman main body at the storage position. Thereby, the seat cushion can be securely stored in the storage recess provided on the front end side of the seat cushion, and it is possible to secure a wide foot space for the occupant. In this state, the ottoman body is deployed to the footrest position by the link member. As a result, the sliding body protrudes forward from the ottoman body, but the front space can be enlarged by the size of the storage recess, a wide footrest width can be secured, and the second link mechanism can be moved forward. A buckling part is formed that buckles outward when a load greater than the allowable load is applied to the ottoman body when a collision occurs on the front side of the vehicle. When it is transmitted, by the buckling portion buckles outward, to absorb an impact force, it is capable of improving safety.

Further, according to the electric ottoman device according to the second aspect, both the forward deployment of the ottoman body and the forward sliding of the sliding body can be simultaneously performed by the second link mechanism. Can be simplified,
Since the buckling portion is formed in the main link, the amount of buckling can be increased, and the shock absorbing characteristics can be enhanced.

Further, according to the electric ottoman device according to the third aspect, since the buckling portion is formed at the center in the front-rear direction of the pair of left and right side plates constituting the main link, a long buckling portion is formed. And the impact absorption characteristics can be enhanced.

Further, according to the electric ottoman device according to the fourth aspect, since the buckling portion is formed by the swelling portion bulging outward, the impact force is transmitted to the main link from the front side. When it is done, it easily buckles outward and can reliably absorb the impact force.

Further, according to the electric ottoman device according to the fifth aspect, since the buckling portion is constituted by a curved bulging portion bulging outward in an inverted U-shape, the main link is impacted from the front side. When the force is transmitted, buckling outward is facilitated, and the impact force can be reliably absorbed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an electric ottoman device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a frame configuration of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electric ottoman device according to the present invention in a state where the ottoman is in a storage position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the electric ottoman device according to the present invention in a state where the ottoman is at a footrest position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main link in the electric ottoman device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modification of the main link in the electric ottoman device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another modification of the main link in the electric ottoman device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat 2 Seat cushion 3 Seat back 4 Ottoman 9 1st link mechanism 9A Rotating link 9B Rotating link 10 Ottoman main body 11 Auxiliary unit (sliding body) 12 Support frame 14 Sliding frame 16 Support case body 17 Linear moving mechanism 18 Electric motor 19 Gear unit 22 Double screw shaft 23 Nut 25 Second link mechanism 26 Main link 26a Left side plate 26b Right side plate 26c Connection plate 26d Connection plate 26e Buckling 26f Buckling 27 Rotation link 28 Support bracket

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An electric ottoman device in which an ottoman is expandably connected to a front portion of a seat cushion, and the ottoman is expanded between a footrest position and a storage position by an electric drive mechanism. An ottoman body that is deployed from a storage position stored in a storage recess formed in a front portion of the ottoman body to a footrest position, and a sliding body that is disposed to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the ottoman body, and is configured by an electric motor. A linear moving mechanism having a moving member that moves in the vehicle front-rear direction, a first link mechanism that expands the ottoman body from a storage position to a foot-loading position, and the ottoman body connected to the moving member of the linear moving mechanism. A second phosphorus that is deployed from the storage position to the footrest position side and that projects the slide body forward from the ottoman body. And a buckling portion that buckles outward when a load greater than a permissible load from the front is applied to the second link mechanism. 2. A main link having one end rotatably connected to a mover of the linear moving mechanism, and a second link mechanism rotatable between a tip end of the main link and the sliding body. A pivot link pivotally supported by a bracket, one end of which is fixed to the ottoman main body, and the other end extending along the ottoman main body is rotatably connected to the mover side with respect to the main link rotational link. The electric ottoman device according to claim 1, wherein a buckling portion is formed in the main link. 3. The main link includes a pair of left and right side plates,
A connecting portion for connecting these side plate portions at front and rear ends excluding a center portion in the front and rear direction, and a buckling portion buckling to the left and right outside formed respectively at the center portion in the front and rear direction of the pair of side plate portions. The electric ottoman device according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The electric ottoman device according to claim 3, wherein the buckling portion is formed by a V-shaped bulging portion bulging outward. 5. The buckling portion is constituted by a curved protruding portion that protrudes by curving outward.
6. The electric ottoman device according to 4.