JP2004042781A - Seat direction changing mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seat direction changing mechanism for mechanically simplifying the structure thereof while performing smooth direction change of a seat. <P>SOLUTION: A direction changing mechanism M comprises a slide mechanism 40, a turning mechanism 50 and an interlocking mechanism 60, and performs the direction changing operation comprising a fixed position rotating operation to perform only the rotating operation, and a composite operation to perform the turning operation and the slide operation in a composite manner to a seat 30. The interlocking mechanism 60 comprises a guide pin 65 and a guide groove 62, and prohibits any other operations (malfunctions) then the direction changing operation by fitting the pin to the groove. Since these malfunctions are also regulated by the interlocking mechanism 60, the device is mechanically simplified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a seat direction changing mechanism.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle seat capable of performing a turning operation in a vehicle cabin has been proposed for the purpose of improving the getting on and off of a disabled person or the like. In this type of vehicle seat, there is a problem that simply rotating the vehicle inside the vehicle compartment may cause the seat to interfere with the door or the center pillar during the rotating operation depending on the size and shape of the vehicle body. .
[0003]
Therefore, in particular, only an operation of rotating the seat is performed at an initial stage of the reversing operation, and thereafter, an operation in which the seat moves in the forward direction of the vehicle body in conjunction with the rotating operation has been studied. No. 3,295,91. This includes a rotating mechanism 2 for causing the seat to perform a rotating operation, a sliding mechanism (not shown) for causing the seat 1 to perform a sliding operation in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and an interlocking operation for interlocking the rotating operation and the sliding operation. The mechanism 3 is configured. The interlocking mechanism includes a rack 4 provided on the slide mechanism side and a pinion gear 5 provided on the rotating mechanism side. As shown in FIG. 16, a part of the pinion gear 5 is missing, and the rack 4 and the pinion gear 5 do not mesh with each other when the seat 1 faces the front of the vehicle body. However, when the seat 1 rotates, the rack 4 and the pinion gear 5 eventually mesh with each other, and thereafter, the sliding operation is performed in combination with the rotating operation.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the above structure, the rack 4 and the pinion gear 5 do not always mesh with each other, and when not meshing, both the rotation mechanism and the slide mechanism can move. Therefore, if only the rotation operation of the seat 1 is performed and the operation is erroneously performed, the slide operation is performed. As a result, the seat 1 cannot smoothly turn around due to interference with a door or the like. Therefore, in order to smoothly perform the turning operation, it is necessary to provide a lock means on the slide mechanism side in addition to the interlocking mechanism 3 and prohibit the slide operation when only the rotation operation is performed.
The present invention has been completed on the basis of the above-described circumstances, and provides a seat direction changing mechanism whose structure is mechanically simplified after performing a smooth turning operation on the seat 1. The purpose is to provide.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As means for achieving the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a base plate attached to a floor panel of a vehicle, and a slide panel attached to the base plate so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. A sliding mechanism comprising: a fixed plate attached to the slide panel; and a rotating pedestal including a rotating plate rotatably attached to the fixed plate, and capable of supporting a seat. A rotation mechanism comprising: a rotation mechanism comprising: a slide mechanism; and an interlocking mechanism interposed between the slide mechanism and the rotation mechanism. Subsequently, a turning operation for displacing the seat from the front position to the turning position facing the door opening side is performed by performing a compound operation for performing the turning operation and the sliding operation in a compound manner. A direction changing mechanism for the seat, wherein the interlocking mechanism includes a guide pin provided on one side of the base plate or the rotating pedestal, and a guide member provided on the other side, The guide member is provided with a guide groove having a track for allowing the guide pin to pass therethrough and performing the reversing operation with respect to the seat, and the guide groove is fitted into the seat by the guide pin. It is characterized in that it is configured to prohibit operations other than the turning operation.
[0006]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a driving mechanism for the rotating mechanism is provided on one of the rotating pedestal and the slide panel, and is arranged concentrically with the rotating plate. It is characterized by comprising a sector gear, a pinion gear provided on the other side and meshing with the sector gear, and a motor for rotating the pinion gear.
[0007]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the driving mechanism for the rotating mechanism includes a front-rear feed screw provided on the base plate along a front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the front-rear feed screw. It is characterized by comprising a motor for rotating, a travel nut screwed with the front-rear feed screw, and an interlocking link provided between the travel nut and the rotary pedestal.
[0008]
Function and effect of the present invention
<Invention of claim 1>
The turning operation is composed of a fixed-position rotating operation for only rotating the seat, and a combined operation performed following the fixed-position rotating operation and for allowing the seat to perform combined rotating operation and sliding operation. Thus, the seat can be displaced from the forward position to the turning position while avoiding interference with existing structures.
By the way, in the initial stage of the turning operation, it is necessary to perform only the turning operation to avoid the interference with the structure, but if the means for regulating the slide mechanism 40 is not taken, the operation may be erroneously performed. Therefore, there is a possibility that a sliding operation is performed in addition to the rotating operation.
In this regard, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an interlocking mechanism including a guide pin and a guide groove for guiding the guide pin is interposed between the rotation mechanism and the slide mechanism. The guide groove allows the guide pin to move only along the trajectory of the guide groove, and restricts other displacement. That is, during the stationary rotation operation, the slide operation by the slide mechanism is regulated by the fitting of the guide pin and the guide groove. Therefore, the turning operation can be performed smoothly without performing an erroneous operation. In addition, since the regulation of the slide operation is shared by the interlocking mechanism, the apparatus is mechanically simplified.
[0009]
<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the second aspect of the invention, when the motor is driven, the sector gear rotates via the pinion gear. That is, the rotating pedestal rotates with respect to the slide panel, and the operation of changing the direction of the seat is started.
[0010]
<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the invention of claim 3, when the screw rod is rotated by the motor, the travel nut advances and retreats along the screw axis. Then, since the turning pedestal is pulled forward or backward of the vehicle body via the connecting link, it turns with respect to the slide panel. Thus, the operation of changing the direction of the seat is started.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a passenger seat half of a normal vehicle applied to the present embodiment, and a passenger seat 20 and a rear seat 12 are arranged on a floor panel 11 in a vehicle interior. A door opening 13 is provided on the side of the passenger seat 20, and a door 14 is attached to the door opening 13 via a hinge so as to be openable and closable. A center pillar 17 is formed behind the door opening 13.
[0012]
The passenger seat 20 has a seat 30 including a seat cushion 31, a seat back 32, a headrest 33, and a footrest 34, a forward position (a position shown in FIG. 1) with respect to the seat 30 in the traveling direction of the vehicle body, and a door opening. And a turning mechanism M for performing a turning operation of displacing between a turning position (a position shown in FIG. 3) facing the unit 13 side.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 4, the direction change mechanism M includes a rotation mechanism 50 that performs a rotation operation on the seat 30, a slide mechanism 40 that performs a slide operation on the seat 30, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the slide mechanism 40. And an interlocking mechanism 60 interposed between the mechanism 50.
Hereinafter, the slide mechanism 40 will be described with reference to FIG.
A flat base plate 41 is fixed to the floor panel 11 of the vehicle body. A pair of fixed rails 42 are provided in parallel with the base plate 41 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a pair of movable rails 43 fixed to a generally rectangular slide panel 45 are provided inside the fixed rails 42. Is slidably mounted via a ball. As will be described in detail later, a guide member 61 is attached to a region of the base plate 41 sandwiched between the two fixed rails 42.
[0014]
Next, the rotation mechanism 50 will be described.
An inner ring (corresponding to a fixing plate of the present invention) 51 is fixed to a position near the center of the upper surface of the slide panel 45. On the other hand, the flat pedestal 55 can support the seat 30. An outer ring (corresponding to a rotating disk of the present invention) 52 is attached to the lower surface side of the rotating base 55. The outer ring 52 is attached to the outer periphery of the inner ring 51 via a ball. It is mounted to be rotatable. Thus, when the outer ring 52 rotates with respect to the inner ring 51, the rotation pedestal 55 and thus the seat 30 rotate.
The slide panel 45 is provided with a long hole 45 </ b> A along the outer periphery of the inner ring 51. The long hole 45A serves as an escape hole for a guide pin 65, which will be described later, and allows the guide pin 65 to pass therethrough with an appropriate gap.
[0015]
Next, a driving mechanism for driving the rotating mechanism 50 will be described.
On the slide panel 45, a sector gear 56 which is further outer circumference of the long hole 45A and is concentric with the inner ring 51 is arranged. A plurality of teeth are formed on the outer periphery of the sector gear 56. On the other hand, a motor 57 that is rotatable in both forward and reverse directions is mounted on the rotating pedestal 55 side, and a pinion gear 58 that is meshable with the teeth of the sector gear 56 is provided on the rotating shaft. Thus, when the motor 57 is driven, the outer ring 52 rotates with respect to the inner ring 51 due to the engagement between the sector gear 56 and the pinion gear 58.
[0016]
The interlocking mechanism 60 includes a guide member 61 attached to the base plate 41 and a guide pin 65 attached to the outer ring 52, and causes the seat 30 to perform the following turning operation. The turning operation is composed of two operations: a stationary operation in which only the rotation operation is performed, and a composite operation in which the rotation operation and the slide operation are performed in combination, and the seat 30 is moved from the forward position to the rotational position. In the case of displacement, a stationary rotation operation is performed first, followed by a composite operation. On the other hand, when displacing from the rotation position to the forward position, the composite operation is performed first, followed by the stationary rotation operation.
More specifically, the guide pin 65 is attached downward to the outer ring 52 and protrudes toward the base plate 41 through the elongated hole 45A of the slide panel 45. A mounting portion 65A having a reduced diameter is formed at the protruding tip portion, and a bearing 66 is fitted therein. On the other hand, the guide member 61 is provided with a guide groove 62 having a width substantially equal to the diameter of the bearing 66. The bearing 66 of the guide pin 65 is fitted into the guide groove 62.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 9, the trajectory of the guide groove 62 is composed of a rotation operation permission portion 62A and a composite operation permission portion 62B. Of these, the rotation operation permitting portion 62A has an arc shape and the center thereof is aligned with the center of the inner ring 51 when the slide panel 45 is at the rearmost position (the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) with respect to the base plate 41. It has become. Therefore, when the guide pin 65 is in the rotation operation permitting portion 62A, an operation in which the guide pin 65 draws an arc trajectory, that is, a rotation operation (fixed position rotation operation) by the rotation mechanism 50 is permitted. In other words, in the turning operation allowing portion 62A, the operation other than the moving operation of the guide pin 65 along the arc trajectory (the straight moving operation of the guide pin 65) is restricted by the fitting with the guide groove 62.
[0018]
The timing at which the guide pin 65 switches from the pivotal motion permitting portion 62A to the composite motion permitting portion 62B is as follows. As shown in FIG. 5, in the initial stage of the turning operation from the forward position to the turning position, the foot of the occupant approaches the door, but gradually separates from the door 14 as the turning progresses. It has become. Therefore, after the foot of the occupant passes the point (P point in FIG. 5) closest to the door 14, a space allowing the sliding operation of the seat 30 is generated between the seat 14 and the door 14. The switching of the guide pin 65 is performed at a predetermined timing.
[0019]
Next, the composite motion permitting portion 62B is formed continuously with the turning motion permitting portion 62A, and extends straight ahead of the vehicle and is inclined toward the center line L as shown in FIG. Make a shape. Therefore, when the outer ring 52 rotates through the rotation mechanism 50 and the guide pin 65 moves from the rotation operation permitting portion 62A to the composite operation permitting portion 62B, the guide pin 65 rotates together with the outer ring 52 with respect to the inner ring 51. While performing the operation, it is guided forward by the composite operation permitting portion 62B and moves forward. Thus, since the slide panel 45 moves forward with respect to the base plate 41, the outer ring 52 and, consequently, the rotating pedestal 55 perform a rotating operation and a sliding operation in a combined manner (combined operation).
[0020]
By performing the combined operation following the stationary rotation operation in this manner, the seat 30 can be further turned to the outside of the vehicle while avoiding interference between the seat 30 and the center pillar 17. That is, when the seat 30 performs the stationary rotation operation from the forward position, the seat 30 gradually approaches the center pillar 17. However, when the seat 30 is at a position corresponding to the point P (see FIG. 5), the gap between the seat 30 and the center pillar 17 is small, but the setting is such that interference does not occur. If only the turning operation is continued as it is, the seat 30 and the center pillar 17 will interfere with each other. However, after the guide pin 65 has moved to the composite operation permitting portion 62B, the seat 30 rotates while performing a sliding operation in the front of the vehicle, that is, in a direction away from the center pillar 17 (composite operation). Therefore, it is possible to further turn to the outside of the vehicle while avoiding interference with the center pillar 17.
As shown in FIG. 9, when the guide pin 65 reaches from the rear end of the pivoting operation allowing portion 62A to the front end of the composite operation allowing portion 62B, the inner ring 51, that is, the seat 30 moves by the dimension D shown in FIG. It has become. As shown in FIG. 3, the D dimension is a minimum dimension for preventing the seat 30 at the pivot position from interfering with the center pillar 17.
[0021]
Subsequently, a control mechanism for controlling each operation of the seat 30 will be described.
The direction change mechanism M is provided with a detection switch, and can detect the position at the forward position and the rotation position. As the detection switch, for example, a limiter switch (not shown) is provided on the rotating base 55, and a plurality of detected members (not shown) are provided on the base plate 41. Then, the configuration may be such that the direction of the seat 30 is detected by bringing the limiter switch and the detected member into contact with each other at the forward position and the rotation position.
[0022]
On the other hand, a control device mainly including a central processing unit (CPU) is provided on the vehicle body (not shown). The CPU is connected to the above-described two detection switches as input lines, and receives an operation signal from a remote controller for causing the seat 30 to perform a turning operation. On the other hand, a motor drive circuit is connected as an output line, and a motor 57 is connected to the motor drive circuit.
[0023]
Next, a procedure when a disabled person or the like sitting on the seat 30 transfers to a wheelchair will be described. First, the passenger first gets off the vehicle, opens the door 14 on the passenger seat 20 side, and keeps a wheelchair (not shown) outside the door 14. Subsequently, when the remote controller is turned on, the CPU drives the motor 57 in response to an operation signal from the remote controller.
When the motor 57 is driven, the outer ring 52 starts rotating with respect to the inner ring 51 due to the engagement of the sector gear 56 and the gear of the pinion gear 58. At this time, the guide pin 65 moves in the rotation operation permitting portion 62A, and its trajectory is arc-shaped as shown in FIG. 7, and its center is the center of the inner ring 51 at the rearmost position. Be consistent. Therefore, the guide pin 65 is allowed to rotate along the inner ring 51.
[0024]
Therefore, in the initial stage of the direction change operation, the seat 30 performs a rotation operation (stationary rotation operation).
In this manner, by rotating the seat 30 in the initial stage of the turning operation, the foot of the occupant follows the trajectory indicated by the thick dashed line in FIG. Interference with the foot can be avoided.
The trajectory indicated by the thin two-dot chain line is a trajectory when the stationary rotation operation is not performed and the redirection operation is configured only by the composite operation.
By the way, when a means for regulating the slide mechanism 40 is not taken at the initial stage of the redirection operation, there is a possibility that the slide operation is performed in addition to the stationary rotation operation by mistake. However, according to the present embodiment, in the initial stage of the turning operation, the guide pin 65 is in the turning operation permitting portion 62A, and the displacement of the seat 30 is restricted only by the turning operation, and the other displacement (sliding operation) is performed. ) Is regulated by the fitting of the guide groove 62 and the guide pin 65.
Note that while the seat 30 performs the stationary rotation operation, the seat 30 approaches the center pillar 17, but the seat 30 and the center pillar 17 do not interfere with each other, and some gap is provided between both members. Settings.
[0025]
Subsequently, when the foot of the occupant passes through the point P shown in FIG. 5 and moves away from the door 14, the guide pin 65 shifts from the pivotal motion permitting portion 62A to the composite motion permitting portion 62B. Even at this time, the motor 57 is continuously driven. Therefore, the guide pin 65 performs a rotational movement along the inner ring 51. On the other hand, the trajectory of the composite operation permitting portion 62B extends forward of the vehicle body and is inclined toward the center line L. Since the guide pin 65 is guided to the front of the vehicle along this track, the inner ring 51 and thus the slide panel 45 move forward. Thus, the seat 30 is subjected to the combined sliding and rotating operations (combined operation), and the seat 30 further changes its direction.
In this way, the seat 30 moves forward of the vehicle while performing the turning operation, and therefore does not interfere with the center pillar 17 in the latter half of the turning operation.
[0026]
Thus, when the seat 30 reaches the turning position, the position is detected by the detection switch, and the control device stops the motor 57 based on the detection signal.
In this rotation position, the seat 30 is in a posture facing the outside of the vehicle, so that a disabled person or the like can transfer to a wheelchair without having to change his / her own direction.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the turning operation of the seat 30 is composed of the home position turning operation and the composite operation, the seat 30 can change its direction without interfering with the door 14 and the center pillar 17. You can do it.
In addition, since the regulation of the slide operation during the fixed position rotation operation is also used by the interlocking mechanism 60, the apparatus is mechanically simplified.
Note that the redirection operation from the rotation position to the forward position reverses this operation, and therefore, the description is omitted.
[0027]
<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the first embodiment, the driving mechanism for driving the rotating mechanism 50 is constituted by the sector gear 56 and the pinion gear 58. In the second embodiment, however, the driving mechanism is constituted by the longitudinal feed screw 71 and the travel nut 75.
[0028]
More specifically, in the first embodiment, the inner ring 51 is attached to the slide panel 45 side, and the outer ring 52 is attached to the rotating pedestal 55 side. However, the configuration is reversed in the second embodiment. The outer ring 52 is mounted on the side of the cage slide panel 45, and the inner ring 51 is mounted on the side of the rotating pedestal 55, so that the inner ring 51 rotates together with the rotating pedestal 55. Further, a guide pin 65 is mounted on the inner ring 51 on the movable side.
Subsequently, a guide member 80 is attached to the base plate 41 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and a longitudinal feed screw 71 is arranged along a fixed rail 42 on a side of the guide member 80. The front-rear feed screw 71 has a front end rotatably supported by a gear box 72 and a rear end side rotatably supported by a rear connection bracket 73. The gear box 72 is rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. 74 are attached. Thus, the feed screw 71 is rotated by the driving of the motor 74.
[0029]
Further, a travel nut 75 is screwed into the front-rear feed screw 71, and one end side of a plate-shaped connection link 76 is screwed to the upper surface thereof. On the other hand, a guide pin 65 passes through the other end of the connection link 76. Thus, the connection link 76 connects the travel nut 75 and the inner ring 51.
Thus, when the longitudinal feed screw 71 is rotated, the travel nut 75 advances and retreats along the longitudinal feed screw 71. Then, since the guide pin 65 moves along the guide groove 81, the inner ring 51 and, consequently, the seat 30 perform a turning operation. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the structures, operations, and effects will be omitted.
[0030]
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and furthermore, besides the following, within the scope not departing from the gist. Can be implemented with various modifications.
[0031]
(1) In the first and second embodiments, while the guide member 61 is provided on the base plate 41 side, the guide pin 65 is provided on the rotary pedestal 55 side. The guide member 61 may be provided on the rotating pedestal 55 side while the 65 is provided.
[0032]
(2) In the first and second embodiments, the base plate 41 and the guide member 61 are separate components, but a guide groove may be provided directly on the base plate 41.
[0033]
(3) In the first and second embodiments, the seat 30 is directly attached to the rotating pedestal 55. However, another mechanism (an elevating mechanism or an external sliding mechanism) is provided between the rotating pedestal 55 and the seat 30. ) May be interposed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a normal automobile according to a first embodiment of the present invention (showing a passenger seat side half);
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a seat reversing operation. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where the seat is in a rotating position. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a passenger seat. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the guide pin is located in the rotation operation allowing section. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which the guide pin switches from the rotation operation allowing section to the composite operation allowing section. FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view showing the shape of a guide groove; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6; FIG. 11 is a front passenger seat in the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which a guide pin is located in a rotation operation allowing section. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which a guide pin is switched from a rotation operation allowing section to a composite operation allowing section. FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a state in which the guide pin is in the composite operation permitting section. Sectional view taken along line B-B in 2 Figure 16 is a plan view of a conventional example [Description of symbols]
Numeral 30: seat 40: slide mechanism 50: rotating mechanism 60: interlocking mechanism 61: guide member 62: guide groove 62A: rotating operation permitting part 62B: composite operation permitting part 65: guide pin

Claims (3)

A slide mechanism including a base plate attached to a floor panel of the vehicle, and a slide panel attached to the base plate so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body;
A rotating mechanism including a fixed board attached to the slide panel, a rotating board rotatably mounted on the fixed board, and a seat capable of supporting a seat;
An interlocking mechanism interposed between the slide mechanism and the pivoting mechanism, and a fixed-position pivoting operation for performing only the pivoting operation on the seat; And a direction change mechanism for a seat capable of performing a combined operation for performing the slide operation in a combined manner, and enabling a reversing operation for displacing the seat from the forward position to a turning position facing the door opening side. And
The interlocking mechanism includes a guide pin provided on one side of the base plate or the rotary pedestal, and a guide member provided on the other side,
The guide member is provided with a guide groove having a track for allowing the guide pin to pass therethrough and performing the reversing operation with respect to the seat, and the guide groove is fitted into the seat by the guide pin. A seat direction changing mechanism configured to prohibit operations other than the turning operation. A drive mechanism for the rotation mechanism is
A sector gear provided on one of the rotating pedestal and the slide panel and arranged concentrically with respect to the turntable;
A pinion gear provided on the other side and meshing with the sector gear;
2. A direction changing mechanism for a seat according to claim 1, further comprising a motor for rotating said pinion gear. A drive mechanism for the rotation mechanism is
A longitudinal feed screw provided along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to the base plate,
A motor for rotating the front-rear feed screw,
A travel nut screwed with the front-rear feed screw,
2. The direction changing mechanism of a seat according to claim 1, further comprising an interlocking link provided between said travel nut and said rotary base.

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