JP2001000277A - Armrest fitting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an armrest fitting structure satisfactory in operability and capable of preventing an armrest from being erroneously operated. SOLUTION: A bearing body 40 is provided at the side edge of a backrest 21A and one end of an armrest 50 is fitted to the body 40. Then, the armrest 50 can be rotated by 90 degrees in a horizontal direction between a using position facing a front/back direction and an opening position opening the lateral side of a seat 21. At the using position, a lock projection part provided at the armrest 50 is fitted into a lock hole provided at the body 40 to regulate the armrest 50 from rotating to the side of the opening position. Then, at the time of lifting the top end of the armrest 50 a little, a lock is unlocked and the armrest 50 can be rotated toward the opening position. The armrest 50 at the opening position can be used as a handrail at the time of getting on and off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an armrest mounting structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some ordinary vehicle seats have an armrest attached to a side edge. In such an armrest, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-194462 as one in which the armrest is made movable in order to improve usability.

The mounting structure of the armrest 1 will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16. A support shaft 4 is protruded from a side edge of the seat 2 toward the side. This spindle 4
A horizontal tube 5A of a movable portion 5 formed in a cross shape from a horizontal tube 5A and a vertical tube 5B is inserted through the movable tube 5, and the movable portion 5 is rotatable about a support shaft 4. A pair of hinge pins 6A and 6B are provided at the upper and lower ends of the vertical cylinder 5B, and the upper frame 7 and the lower frame 8 of the armrest 1 are respectively assembled to these. Armrest 1
From the normal use position to the vertical direction around the support shaft 4 (FIG. 1
4 and can be rotated in the horizontal direction (FIG. 1) around the hinge pins 6A and 6B.
4 (the direction indicated by the arrow Y in FIG. 4). A spring 9 is provided on the upper outer peripheral surface of the vertical cylinder 5B, and urges the engaging member 11 provided on the upper end thereof toward the upper frame 7 side. The engaging member 11 includes the sheet 2
A protrusion 11A extending in the front-rear direction is formed, and this protrusion 11A can be engaged with a part of a keyhole-shaped engagement hole 12 opened in the upper frame 7. Armrest 1
Is set to the normal use position, the protrusion 11A engages with the inside of the engagement hole 12 and applies a load equal to or more than a predetermined value to the armrest 1 in the outer lateral direction. And the armrest 1 can be rotated 180 degrees in the horizontal direction.

[0004]

In recent years, electric tricycles have been developed for the elderly and handicapped. However, it is conceivable to attach an armrest to the seat of this electric tricycle and make it movable as described above. . However, in the case of the above, when a lateral load is carelessly applied by leaning on the armrest 1, the armrest 1 may be erroneously rotated. In order to prevent this, if the engagement force between the protrusion 11A and the engagement hole 12 is increased by strengthening the spring 9 or the like, a strong force is required to move the armrest 1, and operability is deteriorated. Resulting in.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an armrest mounting structure that has good operability and that can be prevented from being erroneously operated.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an armrest mounting structure for solving the above-mentioned problems.
A mounting structure for an armrest attached to a side edge of a vehicle seat and pivotally supported in a horizontally rotatable manner between a use position facing the front-back direction of the seat and an open position opening the side of the seat. And between the armrest and the seat, while restricting the armrest from rotating toward the open position when the armrest is in the use position, and in a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction. And a lock means that can be released by operating the armrest.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the open position is set at a position where the armrest is substantially horizontal with respect to a backrest surface of the seat. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, between the armrest and the seat, when the armrest is rotated from the use position to the open position, It is characterized in that a stopper for restricting excessive rotation from the open position is provided.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the armrest is in the use position, the rotation of the armrest toward the open position is restricted by the locking means.
To bring the armrest to the open position, the locking means is released by operating the armrest in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction, and then the armrest is rotated. Therefore, the operability is good, and it is possible to prevent erroneous rotation.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the open position of the armrest is set at a position substantially in the horizontal direction with respect to the backrest surface of the seat, the armrest at the open position can be used as a handrail.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the armrest is rotated from the use position to the open position, the rotation of the armrest is regulated by the stopper in the open position, so that the positioning of the armrest is facilitated.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, an example in which the armrest 50 is attached to an electric tricycle 20 for the elderly and the handicapped as shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In addition,
The armrest 50 has a pair of left and right symmetrical mounting structures, and FIGS. 2 to 11 show only the structure of the left side of the vehicle for convenience of description.

A support member 30 extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle is provided on the back of the back 21A of the seat 21 (see FIGS. 2 to 6). As shown in FIG.
1A is provided with a metal back panel 22;
Several nuts 24 are welded to the inner surface of the back panel 22 in a line in the left-right direction. One support member 30
Is provided with a through hole 31 at a position corresponding to the nut 24, and a screw 33 is inserted through the through hole 31 to
The support member 30 is fixed by screwing the support member 30.

The left and right ends of the support member 30 are provided with grooves 35A extending substantially in the vertical direction. Bearings 35 each having a substantially semicircular cross section are integrally provided so as to protrude from the side edges of the seat 21. I have. The bearing portion 35 also includes a groove portion 41A extending substantially in the vertical direction, and can be annularly assembled with the bearing portion 41 having a substantially semicircular cross section at both ends thereof. A pair of nuts 37 is embedded and fixed at both ends of the bearing portion 35.
1 is provided with a through hole 42 at a position corresponding to each nut 37, and a screw 44 is inserted therethrough and screwed with the nut 37 to assemble the two bearing portions 35 and 41. By assembling the two bearing portions 35 and 41 in this way, the annular bearing body 40 is formed, and
A shaft hole 43 formed by both groove portions 35A and 41A is formed at the center of the groove. The shaft hole 43 has a tapered shape that expands in diameter upward, as will be described in detail later.
Of the rotary shaft 52 can be inserted. Also, the bearing body 4
The upper and lower surfaces of the bearing part 35 are both horizontal.
A lock hole 38 is formed in the upper surface of the bearing portion 41, and a lock hole 45 is formed in the upper surface of the bearing portion 41. Each lock hole 38, 45
As will be described later, each can be selectively engaged with the lock projection 53 of the armrest 50.

On the other hand, at one end of the armrest 50, there is provided an assembling recess 51 which can be assembled so as to sandwich the bearing body 40 from above and below. In the following description of the armrest 50, the side where the assembly concave portion 51 is provided in the length direction of the armrest 50 is referred to as a rear side, and the opposite side is referred to as a front side. At substantially the center of the mounting concave portion 51, a columnar rotating shaft 52 is provided so as to bridge between the upper and lower surfaces. The rotating shaft 52 is sandwiched between the groove portions 35A and 41A with the mounting of the bearing portions 35 and 41, and is inserted into the shaft hole 43 of the bearing body 40. The armrest 50 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 52 in a horizontal direction. Here, the armrest 50 has a use position facing the front-rear direction of the seat 21 as shown by a solid line in FIG.
As shown by the dashed line, two positions are set: an open position in which the seat 21 is rotated outward by 90 degrees to open the side of the seat 21. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the diameter of the shaft hole 43 at the lower end is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the rotation shaft 52, and the diameter of the shaft hole 43 is tapered upward. The part can be tilted so as to be tilted upward. That is, in the use position and the open position, the armrest 50 has a horizontal posture (see a solid line in FIG. 11) and an inclined posture in which the tip is slightly lifted (FIG. 11).
(See the dashed line in FIG. 3).

The upper and lower surfaces of the assembling concave portion 51 are each composed of two surfaces having different inclinations on the front side and the rear side. The front upper surface 51A and the rear lower surface 51D of the assembling recess 51 are parallel to each other, and when the armrest 50 is in a horizontal posture, as shown in FIG.
D contacts the upper and lower surfaces of the bearing body 40 to support the armrest 50. Further, the rear upper surface 51B and the front lower surface 51C of the mounting concave portion 51 have a downward slope toward the front, so that the front of the armrest 50 is at a high position as shown in FIG. A posture is allowed.

On the front upper surface 51A of the assembling recess 51, there is provided a lock projection 53 (a lock means which is a constituent element of the present invention) which can be selectively engaged with each of the lock holes 38 and 45. . The lock projection 53 is provided on the armrest 50.
When the is placed in the horizontal position at the use position, it is fitted into the lock hole 38 to restrict the horizontal rotation of the armrest 50 (see FIGS. 5 and 8). Also, armrest 50
Is in the horizontal position in the open position, the lock projection 5
3 is fitted into the lock hole 45 and the armrest 5
0 is restricted in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 6). Also,
When the armrest 50 is in the inclined position in the use position and the open position, the lock protrusion 53 is provided in each lock hole 3.
Escape from 8,45 and the lock will be released,
The armrest 50 can be rotated in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 9).

A rectangular concave portion 55 is provided on the rear upper surface 51B of the mounting concave portion 51, in which a metal spring piece 5 is provided.
6 is fixed. A contact portion 56A bent in a chevron shape is provided at the tip of the spring piece 56. The contact portion 56A is capable of bending and deforming in the vertical direction, and is always in contact with the upper surface of the bearing body 40, Rear upper surface 51B
Is urged upward. That is, the armrest 50 is constantly receiving the urging force from the inclined posture side to the horizontal posture side by the spring piece 56. Further, a stopper 58 extending in the up-down direction is protruded from the upper and lower end surfaces of the rear end of the armrest 50. The stopper 58 engages with the edge of the support member 30 when the armrest 50 is in the open position, as shown in FIG.

This embodiment has the above configuration, and its operation will be described below. The armrest 50 is normally in a horizontal position at a use position facing the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In this state, since the lock projection 53 is fitted in the lock hole 38, the rotation of the armrest 50 in the horizontal direction is restricted (see FIG. 8). When the rider rides on the electric tricycle 20, the armrest 50 is slightly inclined at the distal end while resisting the urging force of the spring piece 56 (see a chain line in FIG. 11). Then, the lock projection 53 escapes from the lock hole 38, and the armrest 50 enters an unlocked state in which the armrest 50 can rotate in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 9).

Subsequently, the armrest 50 is horizontally rotated outwardly of the vehicle while maintaining the inclined position. Then, when the armrest 50 is rotated by 90 degrees from the use position, the stopper 58 abuts on the edge of the support member 30, and further rotation of the armrest 50 is restricted. Then, when the armrest 50 is lowered, the lock projection 53 is fitted into the lock hole 45, and the armrest 50 is locked at the open position in a horizontal posture. In this manner, by setting the armrest 50 to the open position (see the chain line in FIG. 2), the side of the seat 21 is opened, and riding and sitting can be performed smoothly. At this time, since the armrest 50 is in the open position that is substantially horizontal with respect to the seat 21, the armrest 50 can be used as a handrail. Also,
Since the armrest 50 at this time is locked,
Even if a load is applied in the lateral direction, it does not operate and can be used safely.

After sitting on the seat 21, similarly to the above,
The distal end of the armrest 50 is lifted to an inclined position, and the lock between the lock projection 53 and the lock hole 45 is released, and then the armrest 50 is horizontally rotated toward the seat 21.
After turning the armrest 50 to the front and rear,
When the armrest 50 is lowered, the lock projection 53 fits into the lock hole 38, and the armrest 50 is locked in the use position in a horizontal posture.

In the case of getting off the vehicle, the armrest 50 is tilted and unlocked in the same manner as described above, then the armrest 50 is turned horizontally to the open position, and then the armrest 50 is lowered to the horizontal position and locked. I do. Also at this time, the armrest 50 in the open position can be used as a handrail.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the armrest 50 is in the use position, the lock projection 53 is fitted into the lock hole 38 and the position is locked, so that the armrest 50 is Rotation to the open position side is restricted. In addition, this lock is
Since the armrest 50 is released by operating the armrest 50 in a direction orthogonal to the turning direction of the armrest 50, in particular, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the turning of the armrest 50 by mistake. Thereby, for example, even when the driver sitting on the seat 21 leans on the armrest 50, the armrest 50 does not rotate, and the body is firmly supported. Further, since the armrest 50 pivots from the use position to the open position in the horizontal direction, there is no need to perform an operation of standing up the armrest as in a flip-up type, and furthermore, the armrest 50 is locked and released. Since the operation can be performed only by slightly moving the tip of the armrest 50 up and down, the operability is good.

Further, since the open position of the armrest 50 is set at a position substantially in the horizontal direction with respect to the surface of the backrest 21A of the seat 21, the armrest 50 at the open position can be used as a handrail. Further, the armrest 50 is locked even in the open position, so that the safety is excellent.

Further, when the armrest 50 is rotated from the use position to the open position, the rotation of the armrest 50 is restricted by the stopper 58 in the open position, so that the positioning of the armrest 50 becomes easy.

<Other Embodiments> In the above embodiment, the bearing body 40 is composed of the two members 38 and 41 and receives the rotation shaft 52 formed on the armrest 50. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a bearing body 60 provided with a shaft hole 61 in the center is formed integrally with a support member 62, and one armrest 63 is provided with a through hole 65 on the upper surface of an assembly concave portion 64. A screw 67 is passed through the through hole 65, inserted into the shaft hole 61, and further screwed into a nut 66 embedded and fixed in the lower surface of the mounting recess 64, so that the screw 67 serves as a rotation axis of the armrest 63. Is also good. According to this, the formation of the member is simplified as compared with the above embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the following ones are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. (1) In the above embodiment, the open position of the armrest 50 is set to a position rotated 90 degrees in the horizontal direction from the use position to the outside of the vehicle, but the open position is not limited to this. It may be set at a position rotated outward by 45 degrees in the horizontal direction. (2) In the above embodiment, the example in which the armrest 50 is attached to the seat of the electric three-wheeled vehicle is shown, but the armrest 50 may be attached to the seat of another type of vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electric tricycle according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an armrest.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting portion of the armrest.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a mounting portion of an armrest.

FIG. 5 is a plan view when the armrest is in a use position.

FIG. 6 is a plan view when the armrest is in an open position.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a mounting portion of the armrest.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA when the armrest is in a horizontal posture.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA when the armrest is in an inclined posture.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting recess of the armrest as viewed from below.

FIG. 11 is a side view of an armrest.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting portion of an armrest according to another embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a mounting portion of the armrest.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a conventional armrest.

FIG. 15 is a front sectional view of the same armrest.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the armrest.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Seat (vehicle seat) 21A ... Backrest 50 ... Armrest 53 ... Lock projection (locking means) 58 ... Stopper

Claims (3)

[Claims] The vehicle seat is mounted on a side edge of a vehicle seat, and is pivotally supported in a horizontal direction between a use position facing the front-rear direction of the seat and an open position that opens the side of the seat. A mounting structure for the armrest, wherein between the armrest and the seat, rotation of the armrest to the open position side when the armrest is in the use position is restricted, and An armrest mounting structure provided with a lock means that can be released by operating the armrest in a direction perpendicular to the armrest. 2. The armrest mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the open position is set at a position where the armrest is substantially horizontal with respect to a backrest surface of the seat. 3. A stopper is provided between the armrest and the seat for restricting excessive rotation of the armrest from the open position when the armrest is rotated from the use position to the open position. The mounting structure of the armrest according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: