JP2005014852A - Damping device and sheet structure having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a damping device capable of reducing whiplash with a simple structure and a sheet structure having the damping device. <P>SOLUTION: This damping device comprises a first base part 11, projected parts 12A to 12D projected from the face of the first base part 11 facing the rear of an occupant toward the rear of the occupant, and an expandable second base part 13 installed on the first base part 11. The first and second base parts 11 and 13 are continuously formed integrally with the projected parts, the inner parts thereof are formed hollow, the inner spaces are formed as one space without being partitioned, and a fluid is filled in the space. The second base part 13 is expanded in conjunction with the deformation of the projected parts 12A to 12D. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure of a seat back and a headrest such as a driver's seat of an automobile, and more particularly, a shock absorber that prevents an occupant from cervical vertebra sprain (whipping) in a rear collision and a seat structure including the shock absorber. It is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a car accident, a car occupant who collided from behind receives a force that moves backward during a rear-end collision, but if the occupant's head is not in contact with the headrest at that time, a sudden backward movement force acts on the neck. Then, the cervical spine may become a so-called whipping disease.
[0003]
In order to reduce such whiplash, a seat structure that prevents a sudden backward movement of the neck is known.
For example, as the seat structure, the seat 50 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B includes a seat back 51 and a headrest 52 attached to the seat back 51 so as to be swingable. A seat frame 51a bent in a rectangular shape in the seat back 51, a pair of brackets 51b and 51b attached to the seat frame 51a, and operating links 51c and 51c pivotally supported by the brackets 51b, A plate 51d laid horizontally between the lower portions of the operating links 51c and 51c and a connecting member 51e for connecting the upper ends of the operating links 51c and 51c are disposed, and a support bar 51f connected to the connecting member 51e, A headrest frame 52a is disposed in the headrest 52 via 51f.
[0004]
In the seat 50 having such a link structure, as shown in FIG. 8, when the occupant receives a force as indicated by an arrow A and moves rearward in the rear-end collision, the plate 51 d in the seat back 51 is moved by the occupant. It is pushed backward by the vehicle by the back. Then, in conjunction with the backward movement of the plate 51d, the headrest frame 52a swings in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the plate 51d (the vehicle front indicated by the arrow B).
[0005]
Since the headrest 52 moves forward and supports the head in conjunction with such movement of the plate 51d, the rapid rotational movement of the neck can be regulated so as to cope with the rapid backward movement of the occupant's neck. It has become.
[0006]
Further, as a seat for reducing whiplash, a support member having a receiving surface constituting portion for receiving the rearward movement of the head of the occupant is disposed in the headrest, and this receiving surface constituting portion is further forward of the vehicle body than the vertical direction. There is also known a headrest structure that is set to have an angle inclined to the side and that suppresses the axial force (tension) of the neck generated as it bends back from above (see Patent Document 1).
[0007]
Moreover, in order to reduce whiplash, the shock absorbing headrest (refer to Patent Document 2) in which the core material of the headrest is made of a foam material having shock absorbing characteristics, and the safety of passengers in the automobile against the rear collision are protected. Therefore, an impact mitigation device (see Patent Document 3) that softens the impact of a collision by a shock absorber is also known.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-190355 A [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent No. 3112259 [Patent Document 3]
JP-A-4-243647
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, with a conventional seat that moves the headrest 52 in the forward direction of the vehicle at the time of a rear collision and optimizes the positional relationship between the head of the occupant and the headrest 52, when the impact force of the collision is large, When the relative speed of the headrest 52 increases and such a high-speed headrest 52 hits the head, the occupant receives a strong impact.
[0010]
Further, since the center point of the rotation of the head is below the center of gravity of the head, the conventional seat 50 can sufficiently suppress the moment accompanying the rotation of the head from being applied to the neck. There wasn't.
[0011]
Further, in order to secure the strength so that the headrest functions sufficiently at the time of high-speed rear impact, the conventional seat 50 not only complicates the mounting structure in the seat back 51 but also has movable members such as the operating link 51c. For this reason, it is difficult to optimally set the stroke range of the headrest 52.
[0012]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a shock absorber and a seat structure provided with the shock absorber that reduce whipping with a simple configuration.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a shock absorber according to the present invention is disposed in a seat in which a headrest and a back seat are continuously integrated, and includes a first base portion, At least one projecting portion projecting from a surface of the first base portion facing the occupant's back toward the back; and an inflatable second base portion provided on the first base portion. The first and second base portions and the projecting portion are continuously and integrally configured, and are formed hollow inside, and the internal spaces are not partitioned. The space is filled with a fluid, and the second base portion expands in conjunction with the deformation of the protruding portion.
[0014]
The shock absorber according to the present invention is preferably configured using a gel-like liquid as the fluid. Furthermore, in the shock absorber according to the present invention, a plurality of the protruding portions may be provided, and these protruding portions may be arranged vertically with a predetermined interval. Furthermore, the protrusion is formed in a thin plate shape.
[0015]
Further, in the shock absorber according to the present invention, the second base portion has an abutting portion that comes into contact with the occupant's rear head, and the corresponding contacting portion of the second base portion excluding the abutting portion. It is comprised by the 2nd elastic member which has high elongation compared with the elongation of the 1st elastic member which each comprises another part, said 1st base part, and said protrusion part. Further, the length of the plurality of protrusions in the vehicle front direction is set such that the lowest protrusion in the upper and lower arrangement order is the longest, and the length of the other protrusions increases as the arrangement position increases. It is set to be shorter.
[0016]
Another aspect of the present invention is a seat structure in which a headrest and a backsheet are continuously and integrally configured, and a shock absorber is disposed in the headrest and the backsheet. A base portion, at least one protrusion portion projecting from the surface of the first base portion facing the back of the occupant toward the back, and an inflatable second portion provided on the first base portion. Two first base portions, the first and second base portions and the projecting portion are continuously and integrally formed, and are formed hollow inside. The spaces are defined as one space without being partitioned, and the space is filled with fluid, and the second base portion expands in conjunction with the deformation of the protruding portion. .
[0017]
In the above configuration, it is preferable to use a gel-like liquid as the fluid. Further, a plurality of the protrusions are provided, and these protrusions are arranged vertically with a predetermined interval. The protrusion is formed in a thin plate shape.
[0018]
In the seat structure provided with the shock absorber according to the present invention, the second base portion has an abutting portion that comes into contact with the rear head of the occupant, and the abutting portion excludes the abutting portion. It is comprised by the 2nd elastic member which has high elongation compared with the elongation of the 1st elastic member which each comprises the other part of this base part, said 1st base part, and said protrusion part. Further, the length of the plurality of protrusions in the vehicle front direction is set such that the lowest protrusion in the upper and lower arrangement order is the longest, and the length of the other protrusions increases as the arrangement position increases. It is set to be shorter.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a seat according to an embodiment of the present invention. The seat 1 includes a seat cushion 2 on which a waist is placed, a seat back 3 that rests on the back, and a headrest 4 that supports the head. 3 and the headrest 4 are integrally formed continuously.
[0020]
The seat back 3 and the headrest 4 are provided with a frame 5 formed by bending a steel material such as an iron pipe into a rectangular shape. Further, elasticity is applied to a portion of the frame 5 corresponding to the back of the occupant. An S-shaped spring for carrying out is mounted. Instead of the frame 5, a resin-made thin plate-like base material 6 can be used as a core material for the seat back 3 and the headrest 4.
The seat 1 is configured such that a cushion material 7 is attached to the frame 5 or the base material 6 and the surface 8 is covered with a skin 8.
[0021]
Such a configuration is the same as the configuration of a conventionally known vehicle seat, but in the seat 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cushion described below in the seat back 3 and the headrest 4. A device 10 is provided.
[0022]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the shock absorber 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The shock absorber 10 shown in this figure is a rectangular parallelepiped first base portion provided corresponding to the back of an occupant. And a protrusion 11 that protrudes from the surface 11A facing the occupant's back in the front direction of the main body, that is, toward the occupant's back, and arranged vertically with a predetermined distance from each other. The parts 12A to 12D and a back head corresponding part 13 as a flat plate-like second base part provided on the back corresponding part 11 corresponding to the back of the head of the occupant are configured.
[0023]
Here, each of the back corresponding part 11, the projecting parts 12A to 12D, and the occipital corresponding part 13 is formed hollow inside. Furthermore, the back corresponding part 11, the projecting parts 12A to 12D and the occipital part corresponding part 13 are continuously and integrally configured, and the internal spaces of the back corresponding part 11, the projecting parts 12A to 12D and the occipital part corresponding part 13 are as follows. Each is not partitioned and a single space is defined.
[0024]
The space thus defined, that is, the inside of the shock absorber 10 is filled with fluid. As the fluid, either gas or liquid can be used, but it is preferable to use a gel-like liquid.
The shock absorber 10 that contains such a fluid is the first in the low elongation rubber or the like except for the contact portion 13A (shaded area in FIG. 2) with which the occipital region of the occipital region corresponding portion 13 abuts. On the other hand, the abutting portion 13A is constituted by a second elastic member such as a high-elongation rubber so that it can expand outward from the inside. The contact portion 13A is formed by forming an opening 13B on the front surface of the rear head corresponding portion 13, that is, the surface facing the rear head of the occupant and stretching high-stretch rubber so as to close the opening 13B. May be.
[0025]
Next, each of the projecting portions 12A to 12D is formed as a projecting piece having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having a width equal to or equivalent to the width of the back corresponding portion 11, and as shown in FIG. When the pressure F applied to the pressure reaches a certain limit value, it is deformed in the lateral direction. In addition, since each protrusion 12A-12D circumference is covered with the cushion material 7, each protrusion 12A-12D does not deform | transform so that it may bend in the intermediate part of a length direction, as shown in FIG. Buckling.
[0026]
By the way, in conjunction with the buckling of each of the protrusions 12A to 12D, the fluid inside each of the protrusions 12A to 12D flows into the back corresponding part 11, but the volume accompanying the buckling of the protrusions 12A to 12D is increased. In order to complement the reduction, the fluid further moves from the back corresponding portion 11 to the occipital corresponding portion 13 as indicated by an arrow α in the figure, and the contact portion 13A expands. That is, since almost the entire shock absorber 10 is made of low-elongation rubber, the fluid is buffered so that the contact portion 13A made of only high-elongation rubber protrudes outward. Move through the device 10.
[0027]
As described above, since the expansion of the contact portion 13A corresponds to the buckling of each of the protrusions 12A to 12D, the degree of expansion of the contact portion 13A mainly depends on the size of the protrusions 12A to 12D and the size thereof. Depends on deformation. In addition, when each protrusion part 12A-12D buckles, since the back corresponding part 11 receives the external force F not a little, the space volume of the inside shrinks, and the fluid for the reduction | decrease volume is also the contact part 13A. Involved in expansion.
[0028]
In addition, in the shock absorber 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in order to easily reduce the internal space due to the external force, the external force is concentrated and received on the four protruding piece-like protrusions 12A to 12D. Yes. That is, the external force F is received in a small area without being dispersed over a wide range.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 1, the shock absorber 10 configured as described above is disposed in the back seat 3 so that the back corresponding portion 11 corresponds to the upper position of the back of the occupant, and the back head corresponding portion 13 is provided. It is disposed so as to be located in the headrest 4. The shock absorber 10 is buried in the cushion material 7, but the thickness of the cushion material 7 between the contact portion 13A of the back head corresponding portion 13 and the skin 8 is set to be thin, and the contact portion 13A. It is possible to expand. Note that the contact portion 13A may be configured to directly contact the skin 8.
[0030]
Further, the skin 8 is configured so as not to hinder the expansion of the contact portion 13A. For example, the skin 8 may be configured by an elastic member such as high-elongation rubber or the like, like the contact portion 13A, so as to protrude together with the expansion of the contact portion 13A together with the front of the vehicle. A part of the epidermis 8 corresponding to the portion 13A may be excised so that the contact portion 13A is exposed to the outside.
[0031]
Next, the operation of the sheet 1 configured as described above will be described.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the operation of the seat according to the embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 4A shows a state before the rear collision, and FIG. Shows the state after the rear impact.
[0032]
Even if the seat back 3 is pushed by the back of the occupant before the rear impact, such an external force is dispersed by the cushion material 7 and the like around the shock absorber 10, so that the protrusions 12A to 12D are not deformed. There is no constant shape.
[0033]
If a rear-end collision occurs in such a state, a strong force toward the rear of the vehicle acts on the occupant, and the occupant's back enters the seat back 3. In that case, each protrusion part 12A-12D buckles, and as a result of the movement of the fluid by it, 13 A of contact parts expand | swell. By this expansion, the headrest 4 protrudes forward of the vehicle and comes into contact with the head.
[0034]
As described above, according to the seat 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the protrusions 12A to 12D buckle at the time of a rear collision, and the contact portion 13A is inflated to project the headrest 4 toward the back of the occupant. A sudden rearward movement of the occupant's neck can be prevented. For example, compared to the relative time difference (the time from when the waist stroke reaches the maximum until the head stroke reaches the maximum) in the conventional seat structure shown in FIG. The relative time difference due to the seat 1 on which the shock absorber 10 of the present invention is shown is short. That is, in the present invention, the relative movement distance of the head, chest, and lower back is reduced to sufficiently suppress the rotation of the occupant's head, so that whiplash can be reduced.
[0035]
Further, in this case, since the inflated contact portion 13A is filled with fluid, the headrest 4 does not apply a strong impact force to the occupant's head when the headrest 4 contacts the occupant's rear head. Furthermore, according to the seat 1, since the center of gravity of the head is supported and the rotation of the head is suppressed, the neck moment can be reduced.
[0036]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the length of each of the protrusions 12A to 12D in the front direction of the vehicle is set so that the lowest protrusion 12D is the longest in the vertical arrangement order, and the other protrusions 12A. If the length of ˜12C is set so as to become shorter as the arrangement position goes up, the rearward movement of the occupant's back can be efficiently absorbed.
[0037]
Further, in a normal use state, that is, a state before the contact portion 13A is expanded, the shock absorber 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured without using a metal member. Comfortable driving can be enjoyed without feeling uncomfortable with the metal member.
[0038]
By the way, in the above description, a configuration in which four protrusions are provided in the shock absorber 10 is illustrated, but the number of protrusions is not limited thereto, and in order to expand the contact portion 13A, It is sufficient that at least one is provided.
[0039]
In addition, the protrusions 12A to 12D may be formed in a thick rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIG. 5A, in addition to being formed in the protruding piece shape exemplified in the above configuration example.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (B), a plurality of protrusions may be arranged on the left and right sides. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 (C), the protrusions are arranged in the vertical direction. A plurality of protrusions can be arranged side by side in a standing state. Regarding the shape, the back corresponding part 11 and the occipital corresponding part 13 are not limited to the shapes exemplified in the above description.
[0040]
The seat 1 illustrated in the above description can be applied to a driver's seat of a vehicle, but is not limited to such a front seat, but is a seat of a vehicle such as a rear seat, and a headrest is formed integrally with a back seat. If it is, you can use it. Although detailed above, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, whiplash at the time of rear collision can be effectively reduced with a simple structure.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective side view showing a sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a shock absorber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the action of the buffer according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a usage state of a sheet according to the embodiment of the present invention, respectively.
FIGS. 5A to 5C are perspective views showing other configuration examples of the shock absorber according to the embodiment of the present invention.
6A is a graph for showing a relative time difference in a conventional seat structure, and FIG. 6B is a graph for showing a relative time difference by a seat equipped with a shock absorber according to the present invention.
7A is a perspective side view showing a conventional sheet, and FIG. 7B is a perspective rear view thereof.
FIG. 8 is a perspective side view showing a use state of a conventional sheet.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat 2 Seat cushion 3 Seat back 4 Headrest 5 Frame 6 Base material 7 Cushion material 8 Skin 10 Shock absorber 11 Back corresponding part (1st base part)
12A-12D Protruding part 13 Rear head corresponding part (second base part)
13A Contact part 13B Opening

Claims (12)

A shock absorber disposed in a seat in which a headrest and a back seat are continuously formed integrally,
A first base part, at least one projecting part projecting from the surface of the first base part facing the back of the occupant toward the back, and an inflatable provided on the first base part A second base portion,
The first and second base portions and the protruding portion are continuously and integrally configured, and the inside is formed hollow,
Furthermore, each of the internal spaces is defined as one space without being partitioned, and the space is filled with fluid,
The shock absorber, wherein the second base portion expands in conjunction with the deformation of the protruding portion. The shock absorber according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is a gel-like liquid. The shock absorber according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are provided, and the protrusions are arranged vertically at a predetermined interval. The shock absorber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusion is formed in a thin plate shape. The second base portion has an abutting portion that comes into contact with an occupant's rear head, and the corresponding contacting portion is the other portion of the second base portion excluding the abutting portion, the first base portion. And a second elastic member having an elongation higher than that of the first elastic member constituting each of the protrusions. Shock absorber. The length of the plurality of protrusions in the vehicle front direction is set such that the lowest protrusion in the upper and lower arrangement order is the longest, and the length of the other protrusions becomes shorter as the arrangement position goes upward. The shock absorber according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the shock absorber is set as follows. A head structure in which a headrest and a back seat are continuously and integrally configured;
A shock absorber is disposed in the headrest and the back seat,
The shock absorber is provided on the first base portion, at least one projecting portion projecting from the surface of the first base portion facing the back of the occupant toward the back, and the first base portion. An inflatable second base portion,
The first and second base portions and the protruding portion are continuously and integrally configured, and the inside is formed hollow,
Furthermore, each of the internal spaces is defined as one space without being partitioned, and the space is filled with fluid,
The seat structure provided with a shock absorber, wherein the second base portion expands in conjunction with the deformation of the protruding portion. The sheet structure having a shock absorber according to claim 7, wherein the fluid is a gel-like liquid. The seat structure with a shock absorber according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are provided, and the protrusions are arranged vertically with a predetermined interval. The sheet structure having a shock absorber according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the protruding portion is formed in a thin plate shape. The second base portion has an abutting portion that comes into contact with an occupant's rear head, and the corresponding contacting portion is the other portion of the second base portion excluding the abutting portion, the first base portion. And a second elastic member having an elongation higher than that of the first elastic member constituting each of the protrusions. A seat structure with a shock absorber. The length of the plurality of protrusions in the vehicle front direction is set such that the lowest protrusion in the upper and lower arrangement order is the longest, and the length of the other protrusions becomes shorter as the arrangement position goes upward. The seat structure including the shock absorber according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the seat structure is set as described above.

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