JP2002186542A - Armrest for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily realize a locking mechanism to hold an armrest, using a simple construction, so as not allow the armrest to accidentally fall forward from a storage recess thereof, while a change of design can be minimized, retaining the switching operability of the armrest. SOLUTION: In this armrest 4 for vehicle, the main body 4A thereof is disposed in a storage recess 5 of a seat back 3 so that the armrest can be switched to a storage position and to a use position. In the body 4A and the recess 5, a projection 18 for locking and a recess 15, which are oppositely oriented one to the other at their storage positions so as to be releasably engaged with each other, are provided. The location of either one of the projection 18 and the recess 15 is limited on the side of the body 4A, core materials 8, or 11 of the seat back 3, while the location of the other one of the projection 18 and the recess 15 is not limited on the side of the body 4A, the core material 8, or 11 so that the other one is disposed so as to be elastically and vertically rocked through a shock-absorbing pad 9. When the body 4A is forced into the recess 5, the other one is engaged with the one of the projection and the recess by the stress from the one, the location of which is limited on the side of the core material 8 or 11 due to the elastic displacement of the pad 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular armrest which can be put in and out of a storage recess provided in a seat back.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An armrest A for a vehicle constitutes a part of a seat. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the armrest A is rotated from a storage position pushed into a storage recess 40a of a seat back 40 with a lower side as a fulcrum. Then, the operating position is switched to the use position where it is moved forward on the seat cushion 41. The basic structure of the armrest main body is such that a core material is disposed inside as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-182592 and the outside thereof is covered with a buffer pad and a decorative skin. Further, the armrest body is not held in the storage recess 40a by a dedicated engagement / disengagement structure, but is usually held by the mutual elastic force when pushed into the storage recess 40a. This is because the armrest body is rich in elasticity because the core material is built in the pad as described above, and at the same time, the storage recess 40a is also divided by the corresponding portions of the pad and the skin constituting the seat back 40, and the elasticity is increased. Rich in
This is because both elastic forces can be used.

[0003] In addition, a cup holder, an ashtray and the like are often provided as a part of the armrest body as an additional function. FIG. 6 shows two examples developed earlier by the present applicant. (A) Armrest A1 (JP-A-6-336)
136), a holder plate 43 is provided on the tip side of the main body 42.
Is provided in a drawer type, and the holder plate 43 is pulled out at the use position of the main body 42, cups K are inserted into the holding holes, and the periphery of the cup is held. In the same (b) armrest A2 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-51309),
A holding member 46 with a lid 45 is provided on the distal end side of the main body 44, and the lid 45 is opened and closed so that cups can be held in the holding member 46. The holder member 43 and the holding member 46 are provided in a state where the position of the corresponding portion is regulated on the core material side. Reference numeral 47 in each figure is a mounting pivot.

[0004]

In the armrest A and the like as described above, the cushioning pad is formed by foam molding or the like, and the outer skin has elasticity and the elastic pad is put in the bag. It is difficult to form the width dimension L of the armrest main body A with respect to the width dimension T of the place 40a with high accuracy, and there is a limitation on the dimension accuracy. At the same time, in terms of the storage structure, if the armrest main body is forced into the storage recess 40a, the rubbing portions of the outer skins, which are the constituent members, are easily worn. Due to such circumstances, in the conventional structure, the armrest body is formed so as not to be too strong when the armrest is taken in and out. . However, even in such a situation, the armrest A is supported on both sides of the lower shaft support 47.
It is not attached to the storage recess 40a because it is attached to the storage recess 40a side through the like. As a countermeasure,
It is also conceivable to add a locking means for locking the armrest A in the storage position.
In each case, since the core material is covered with the pad and the skin, it is difficult to secure a locking restricting portion, and a significant design change is required, resulting in a complicated and expensive device.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to realize a lock structure for holding the armrest from being accidentally moved forward from the storage recess by minimizing a design change, maintaining the operability of switching the armrest, and simplifying the configuration. Other objects will be clarified in the following description.

[0006]

According to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, an armrest body is disposed in a storage recess of a seat back, and lower sides of the armrest body are provided in the storage recess. In a vehicle armrest which is rotatably attached to a facing portion of the vehicle via a pivot or the like and is switched between a storage position pushed into the storage recess and a use position which is moved forward from the storage position on a seat cushion, In the armrest body and the storage recess,
A core material side having a locking convex portion and a concave portion which are provided at locations opposed to each other at the storage position and engage and disengage with each other, wherein one of the convex portion and the concave portion is a constituent member of the armrest body or the seatback. The position is regulated, and the other is not regulated by the core material side, which is a constituent member of the armrest body or the seat back, and is provided so as to be able to reciprocate vertically through a cushioning pad, which is the constituent member. In the process of pushing the armrest main body into the storage recess, the armrest body engages with the one with the elastic displacement of the pad due to the stress received from the one whose position is regulated to the core material side. And

According to the present invention described above, a protrusion and a recess are engaged and disengaged between the armrest main body and the storage recess, that is, a simple lock structure is added. In this case, only one of the protrusion and the recess is provided. The position of the pad is regulated on the side of the corresponding core member (meaning that it is directly or indirectly attached to the side of the core member), and the elastic displacement of the pad, which is the corresponding constituent member, is caused by a stress received from one side of the other. It is significant to engage with one of them. That is, this structural feature is that only one of the convex portion and the concave portion restricts the position to the core material side as the corresponding component, and the other is attached to the corresponding skin as the component, and the cushioning pad covered with the skin As an urging member (engagement holding force) for holding the lock. Thereby, as the vehicular armrest, when the armrest main body is disposed in the storage position, the convex portion and the concave portion are engaged, and unless the user actively pulls the armrest main body toward the use position side, the inside of the storage recess is provided. Is kept stable.
This engagement holding force is simple because it utilizes the elastic displacement of the cushioning pad, and can eliminate the unstable factor of being accidentally brought forward by vibration or the like as in the related art.

The present invention is more preferably embodied as follows. First, the concave portion is provided on a plate member which is disposed on the armrest main body side and whose position is regulated on the core material side as the constituent member, and wherein the convex portion defines the storage recess. This is a configuration that is attached to a corresponding portion of the skin, which is a constituent member of the back. In this case, the convex portion engaging and disengaging from the concave portion is located in the storage recess which is hard to be seen from the outside, so that the appearance is excellent, and at the same time, the pad on the seat back side is relatively thick, so that the armrest body can be put in and out of the storage recess. It is easy to secure the engagement force while maintaining the performance. Secondly, the plate member is arranged on the holding surface side from the distal end surface of the armrest main body, and the recess is formed in a part of the distal end surface. This is particularly significant in that it has been specified that the recess can be provided using a conventional plate member as shown in FIG. That is, a cup holder, an ashtray, an accessory case, a switch board, and the like are often attached to the armrest body from the distal end surface to the holding surface side. This is because, in the present invention, it is preferable to add a concave portion or a convex portion to a part of these plate members to simplify the plate member.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show an example of a basic form of a vehicular armrest to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a vehicular seat incorporating the armrest, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are main part configuration diagrams. .

(Overall Structure) A vehicle seat 1 shown in FIG. 1 is of the same bench type as that shown in FIG. 5, and comprises a seat cushion 2 and a seat back 3, and an armrest 4 incorporated in a storage recess 5 of the seat back 3. have. The armrest 4 is rotated from the storage position shown in FIG. 3 with the lower side of the storage recess 5 as a fulcrum, and is switched to a use position where the armrest 4 is tilted forward on the seat cushion 2. The basic structure of the seat back 3 and the armrest 4 is substantially the same as the conventional one in the following points.

That is, the seat back 3 holds the pad 9 with respect to the frame 8 which is the core material, and at the same time,
It is a configuration covered with. The storage recess 5 has a seat back 3
Is formed as a recess at a position substantially at the center, that is, in the middle between the left and right. Here, the pad 9 is made of an elastic foam such as urethane, and forms the outer shape of the seat back 3. The portion of the storage recess 5 is shaped by the corresponding portion of the pad 9 and the entire inside is covered by the corresponding portion of the skin 10. A support bracket 6 having a shaft hole or the like is attached to the lower side of the storage recess 5 on the frame 8 side. The armrests 4 are rotatably attached to the brackets 6 on both sides. Note that the seat back 3 is not limited to the bench type and may be a semi-separate or the like as long as it has the storage recess 5. The storage recess 5 may have a form penetrating front and rear, and in that case, an opening / closing lid may be additionally provided with the armrest 4 as necessary.
A resin board may be mounted on the back side of the seat back 3. These points are described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-03164.
69, etc., and the attachment of the armrest 4 is appropriately changed with reference to Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-316468.

On the other hand, the armrest 4 has a main body 4A.
Is a structure in which a pad 12 is held on a frame 11 which is a core material and is covered with a special skin 13, and is formed in a size that can be put in and out of the storage recess 5. The pad 12 here is also made of the same elastic foam as urethane or the like as the pad 9, and forms the outer shape of the main body 4A. The main body 4A is provided with a drawstring or the like (not shown) when pulled out from the storage recess 5, and a resin plate member 16 is provided as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. The plate member 16 has a corresponding portion fixed to the frame 11 side and its position is regulated. The plate member 16 is located at the rotation tip side of the main body 4A, and the outer surface of the plate is part of the tip end surface 14a to part of the arm holding surface 14b. Is exposed in a continuous state. In addition, the plate member 16 is a pseudo member assuming a main body member for holding cups and the like and for putting small articles in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-51309.
The holder member 43 of (a) or a member similar thereto (a well-known cup holder, ashtray, accessory case, switch board, etc.) may be used.

(Lock Structure) The storage recess 5 and the armrest 4 described above are provided with a lock structure of the present invention for holding the main body 4A in the storage position of the armrest 4. The lock structure includes an engagement recess 15 provided at a suitable position on the outer surface of the plate member 16 and an engagement projection 18 projecting into the storage recess 5.

Here, the engaging recess 15 is located on the distal end face 14a of the plate member 16 which is disposed on the distal end face side of the main body 4A as shown in FIG. . Each engagement recess 15 is formed as a groove extending in the rotation direction of the main body 4A to the storage position, and has a deepest intermediate portion, and has a substantially V-shaped cross section. Each engaging recess 15 is rounded so as not to impair the appearance.

The engaging projections 18 are formed by a pair of claw members 17 which are engaged with and disengaged from the respective engaging recesses 15. Each claw member 1
Numeral 7 is made of a resin molded product, and has a claw portion 17a engaged and disengaged in the engagement recess 15 as shown in FIG. 3, and a pin portion 17b protruding from the back side of the claw portion 17a. . The claw member 17 is
The seat back 3 is attached to the corresponding portion of the skin 10 during the assembly process. In this mounting operation, a through hole 10b through which the pin portion 17b is inserted is provided in a corresponding portion of the skin 10, that is, an upper surface portion 10a of the storage recess 5, and a mounting plate 19 is used. The mounting plate 19 is provided with a mounting hole 19a through which the pin portion 17b is inserted and a pair of regulating protrusions 19b. Then, after the mounting plate 19 is overlapped on the back side of the upper surface portion 10a with the mounting hole 19a and the through hole 10b aligned with each other, the pin portion 17b is passed through the mounting hole 18 and the mounting hole 19a from the storage recess 5 side, that is, from the outside. It will be in the state that was. From this state, the claw member 17 has the protruding portion of the pin portion 17b fixed to the mounting plate 19 by heat caulking or the like. In this fixed state, the regulation protrusion 19
The resistance of b also acts, and the claw member 17 is stably disposed on the upper surface portion 10a of the skin 10 via the mounting plate 19. When the assembly of the seat back 3 is completed, the claw member 17 has the claw portion 17a protruding downward from the upper surface of the storage recess 15 and the pad 9 on the top thereof via the mounting plate 19.
Can be swung up and down with the elastic deformation of the corresponding part of. That is, in this structure, the elastic force of the pad 9 is used as the engaging force of the claw portion 17a.
Presses the corresponding portion of the pad 9 two-dimensionally to elastically deform it. In addition, the mounting structure of the claw member 17 is not limited to this mode and can be changed as needed.

(Operation) Next, the main operation of the armrest 4 described above will be outlined. When the main body 4A is located at the storage position, the armrest 4 is engaged with the engaging projection 18, that is, the claw 1.
7a is engaged in the engagement recess 15, and the main body 4A is strongly held in the storage recess 5 with respect to the conventional structure by an amount corresponding to the engagement force. For this reason, the armrest 4
For example, even when the vehicle is suddenly stopped and a large forward load is applied, it is possible to reliably prevent the vehicle from being pulled forward and accidentally being pulled out. In this structure, the armrest 4
Is pulled out of the storage position to the use position,
The claw member 17 elastically deforms the pad 9 via the mounting plate 19, and the claw portion 17 a elastically deforms together with the skin 10.
The engagement with the engagement recess 15 is released while being temporarily released to the side. The claw portion 17a is returned to the original protruding state together with the skin 10 by the restoring force of the pad 9 while reaching the outside of the storage recess 5. Conversely, in the process of switching from the use position to the storage position side, when the plate 16 of the main body 4A hits the claw 17a, the claw 17a elastically deforms the pad 9 via the mounting plate 19 and temporarily escapes together with the skin material 10. Then, the main body 4A can be pushed to the final storage position. In the retracted position, the pawl portion 17a is engaged in the engagement recess 15 and the pad 1
The main body 4A can be locked and held with a strength corresponding to the elastic force of the elastic member 9. Therefore, in this structure, unless the user or the like pulls the main body 4A to the use position side and actively falls forward, the unstable element of accidentally falling down as in the related art can be reliably eliminated. It is also possible to reduce the gap between the main body 4Aa and the storage recess 5 so as not to rub each other.

(Modification) FIG. 4 shows an example in which the lock structure of the above embodiment is modified. In this modification, the same members and portions as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. Modifications will be described in detail. This structure is an example in which an engaging projection 18 is provided at an appropriate position on the outer surface of the plate member 16 and an engaging recess 15 is provided in the storage recess 5.

The engagement recess 15 is formed in the storage recess 5 by:
It is provided on a resin bracket 21 mounted on a corresponding portion of the skin 10 via a mounting plate 19. This bracket 2
1 is a cap with a flange, and the collar has a
0 is fixed to the mounting plate 19 with the corresponding hole edge sandwiched therebetween. The engaging projection 18 is formed by a claw 17a protruding from a corresponding portion of the plate member 16 described above. Engaging projection 18
The same operation as described above can be obtained with the engagement recess 15 even in such a form. As described above, the present invention can be variously modified within the scope specified in claim 1.

[0019]

As described above, in the vehicular armrest of the present invention, when the armrest main body is located at the retracted position, the convex and concave portions are engaged, and the user uses the armrest main body. Unless actively pulled to the position side, it is stably held in the storage recess. This engagement holding force is simple because the elastic displacement of the buffer pad is used,
It is possible to eliminate a factor of quality instability, such as inadvertently moving forward due to vibration or the like, as in the related art. In terms of the lock structure, for example, the position to be regulated to the core material side is easily secured by using the holder member 43, the holding member 46, the lid, or the like in FIG. 6, and the design change and the number of members are reduced. It can be minimized, and at the same time, the other is engaged with and disengaged from the other with the elastic displacement of the pad, so that it is easy to maintain the switching operability of the armrest main body and the like, and the quality and reliability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an armrest and a storage recess to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded view showing a main part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example in which the structure of FIG. 1 is modified.

FIG. 5 is an external view showing an example of a vehicle seat provided with a retractable armrest.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a conventional example of a retractable armrest.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 is a vehicle seat 3 is a seat back 4 is an armrest 4 A is a main body (armrest main body) 5 is a storage recess 8, 11 is a frame (core) 9, 12 is a pad 10, 13 is a skin 14 a is a front end surface 14 b of the main body Is a holding surface of the main body 15 is an engagement concave portion (recess) 16 is a plate member 17 is a claw member 17a is a claw portion 18 is an engagement convex portion (convex portion) 19 is a mounting plate

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A storage position in which an armrest body is disposed in a storage recess of a seat back, and both lower sides are rotatably attached to opposing portions in the storage recess via a pivot or the like, and are pushed into the storage recess. And a vehicle armrest that is switched from the storage position to a use position that is moved forward on a seat cushion, wherein the armrest body and the storage recess are provided at locations opposed to each other at the storage position and disengage from each other. A locking convex portion and a concave portion, wherein one of the convex portion and the concave portion is restricted in position to a core material side which is a constituent member of the armrest body or the seatback, and the other is the armrest body or the armrest body. It is not restricted to the core material side, which is a constituent member of the seat back, and is provided so as to be capable of elastically swinging up and down via a buffer pad, which is the constituent member. In the process in which the armrest main body is pushed into the storage recess, the other engages with the one with the elastic displacement of the pad due to the stress received from the one whose position is restricted to the core material side. Vehicle armrest. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recess is provided on a plate member that is disposed on the armrest main body side and that is restricted in position on the core material side as the constituent member, and the protrusion defines the storage recess. The vehicle armrest according to claim 1, wherein the armrest is attached to a corresponding portion of a skin, which is a constituent member of the seatback. 3. The armrest for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the plate member is disposed on a holding surface side from a front end surface of the armrest main body, and the recess is formed in a part of the front end surface.