JP2007099195A - Occupant waist part restraint device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an occupant waist part restraint device having a simple structure which is capable of compatibly enhancing the occupant restraint performance by preventing occurrence of any submarine phenomenon and enhancing the ride quality of an occupant on a vehicular seat. <P>SOLUTION: A seat pan 42 is supported in a hanging state by a plurality of seat springs 48 inside a seat cushion frame 38. In addition, the seat cushion frame 38 is connected to the seat pan 42 by a plurality of dampers 50. Thus, in the normal traveling mode of a vehicle, the seat pan 42 is elastically supported by the urging force of the seat springs 48, and the excellent ride quality performance is obtained. Further, when the vehicle is collided, a large downward load is input in the seat pan 42, and the dampers 50 work to resist the downward displacement of the seat pan 42. In addition, the structure can be simplified basically by adding dampers 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an occupant waist restraint device that restrains an occupant waist by a vehicle seat in the event of a vehicle collision.

  There may be a so-called submarine phenomenon in which the occupant restrained to the vehicle seat by the seat belt device takes a posture to sink into the seat cushion of the vehicle seat when the vehicle collides. Various techniques for preventing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon have been proposed in the past (see Patent Document 1 below as an example).

  For example, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, the seat cushion includes a pair of left and right support arms, a pair of front and rear horizontal bars that connect the front and rear ends of the support arms, and a turnover mechanism. Submarine restricting members are provided.

According to the above configuration, when the occupant's buttocks start to sink below the seat cushion at the time of a vehicle collision, the rear horizontal bar is pushed downward to rotate the pair of left and right support arms around the support shaft. As a result, the urging direction of the turnover mechanism is reversed, and the front horizontal bar is pushed upward.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-13423

  However, in the case of the above prior art, the special parts for submarine measures are installed in a certain form in the front part of the seat cushion, so that the structure is still complicated and the mountability to the seat cushion is low.

  In addition, when adding a structure that suppresses this type of submarine phenomenon, it is necessary to consider riding comfort during normal vehicle travel. However, in the case of the prior art, since a turnover mechanism is adopted, it is difficult to select the amount of turnover when the occupant's buttocks sink, and priority is given to ride comfort, for example. For example, it is necessary to delay the turnover timing by lowering the position of the horizontal bar on the rear side, but in that case, the submarine suppression effect is reduced. If the reverse selection is made, the submarine deterrent effect can be enhanced, but the ride comfort is reduced accordingly. Therefore, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of the establishment of a trade-off.

  In view of the above facts, the present invention provides an occupant waist restraint device that has a simple structure and can improve both the restraint performance of the occupant by preventing the occurrence of a submarine phenomenon and the riding comfort performance of the occupant on the vehicle seat. Is the purpose.

  An occupant waist restraint device according to the present invention described in claim 1 is an occupant waist restraint device for restraining an occupant waist to a vehicle seat at the time of a vehicle collision, and a panel material disposed on a lower side of a seat cushion of the vehicle seat; , A plurality of elastic bodies elastically supporting the panel material in a suspended state or a pushed-up state on the seat cushion frame, and a sudden depressing load on the panel material interposed between the seat cushion frame and the panel material And a damper member that dampens and suppresses the downward displacement of the panel material when it is input.

  The occupant waist restraint device according to the present invention described in claim 2 is an occupant waist restraint device that restrains the occupant waist to the vehicle seat at the time of a vehicle collision, and is disposed below the front portion of the seat cushion of the vehicle seat. A support member that can be tilted toward and away from the seat cushion around an axis, and the support member and the seat cushion frame are connected to each other, and an urging force in the approach direction to the seat cushion is applied to the support member. And a locking means provided on at least one of the support member and the seat cushion frame and forcibly preventing a downward displacement of the support member when a collision state is detected. .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, during normal vehicle travel, the panel material disposed on the lower side of the seat cushion of the vehicle seat is supported by the seat cushion frame in a suspended state or a pushed-up state by a plurality of elastic bodies. Has been. At this time, since a sudden pressing load on the panel material is not input, the damper member does not exhibit a damper function. Therefore, the riding comfort performance of the occupant on the vehicle seat during normal vehicle travel is maintained well.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle crashes from this state and the occupant's waist is about to sink into the seat cushion, a sudden push-down load is input to the panel material. For this reason, if the damper member is not installed, the panel material is pushed down by a considerable amount against the urging force of the elastic body, but in the present invention, the damper member is placed between the seat cushion frame and the panel material. Since it is interposed, the damper function is demonstrated and the reaction force increases. Thereby, the sudden pressing load acting on the panel material is attenuated, and the panel material that was “soft” in the vertical direction of the sheet can be changed to “rigid (or hard)” in the vertical direction of the sheet. Therefore, the downward displacement of the panel material is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the submarine phenomenon in which the occupant's lower back portion enters the seat cushion of the vehicle seat when the vehicle collides.

  Further, in the case of the occupant waist restraint device according to the present invention, it is possible to set dedicated parts for submarine phenomenon suppression for the panel material and the elastic body, but it is also possible to use, for example, a seat pan and a seat spring. . In that case, the new component is only the damper member, and it is possible to make the structure fairly simple.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the support member disposed below the front portion of the seat cushion of the vehicle seat is not locked by the locking means during normal vehicle travel. Only the biasing force is active. Therefore, the riding comfort performance of the occupant on the vehicle seat during normal vehicle travel is maintained well.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle crashes from this state, and the collision state is detected, the downward displacement of the support member is forcibly prevented by the locking means. Therefore, the support member cannot be displaced further downward, and the occupant's waist is prevented from sinking. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the submarine phenomenon in which the occupant's lower back portion enters the seat cushion of the vehicle seat when the vehicle collides.

  Further, in the case of the occupant waist restraint device according to the present invention, the occupant waist restraint device is configured by the support member, the urging means, and the lock means. However, the lock means can be installed outside the seat cushion frame, for example. It is. In that case, since only the support member and the urging means are required to be disposed on the lower side of the seat cushion, the structure can be made quite simple.

  As described above, the occupant waist restraint device according to the present invention according to claim 1 supports the panel material arranged on the lower side of the seat cushion in an suspended state or a pushed-up state with an elastic body, and further the panel material and the seat Since the damper member is interposed between the cushion frame and the cushion frame, it is possible to improve both the restraint performance of the occupant and the occupant comfort performance of the vehicle seat by preventing the submarine phenomenon from occurring. It has an excellent effect of being able to.

  The occupant waist restraint device according to the second aspect of the present invention has a support member that can be tilted in the approach and separation directions on the front lower portion side of the seat cushion and imparts a biasing force in the seat cushion approach direction to the support member. In the event of a vehicle collision, the downward displacement of the support member is forcibly blocked by the locking means, so the simple structure improves the restraint performance of the passenger by preventing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon and the ride comfort of the passenger on the vehicle seat. It has an excellent effect of being able to achieve both performance improvement.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an occupant waist restraint apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In these drawings, an arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the vehicle front side, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and an arrow IN indicates the vehicle width direction inner side.

  FIG. 2 shows a side view of a state where the three-point seat belt device 12 of the occupant seated on the front seat 10 is mounted. As shown in this figure, a front seat 10 as a vehicle seat includes a seat cushion 14 on which an occupant is seated, a seat back 16 that can be tilted at a rear end portion of the seat cushion 14 and serves as a occupant's backrest, A headrest 18 is provided at the upper end of the seat back 16 so as to be adjustable in height, and supports the head of the passenger. A pair of left and right seat tracks (seat slide rails) 22 are disposed at predetermined positions on the vehicle body floor 20, and a seat cushion frame 38, which will be described later, is slidably supported on the seat tracks 22.

  The front seat 10 is provided with a three-point seat belt device 12 positioned as an occupant protection device. The seat belt device 12 includes a webbing 24 for restraining an occupant. One end of the webbing 24 is locked to a spool of a webbing take-up device 28 disposed near the lower end of the center pillar 26, and the other end of the webbing 24 is fixed to the vehicle body floor 20 and is not shown. Locked to the plate. Further, the intermediate portion of the webbing 24 is supported by a shoulder anchor (slip joint) 30 provided at the upper part of the center pillar 26 so as to be freely inserted. Further, a tongue plate 32 that is a high-strength member is inserted through an intermediate portion of the webbing 24 (between the shoulder anchor 30 and the anchor plate). The tongue plate 32 can be engaged and disengaged with a buckle device 34 arranged in a standing state on the side of the seat cushion 14, and by engaging the tongue plate 32 with the buckle device 34, A portion from the plate to the tongue plate 32 can be a lap side webbing 24A, and a portion from the tongue plate 32 to the shoulder anchor 30 can be a shoulder side webbing 24B.

  Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the occupant waist restraint device 36 according to the main part of the present embodiment, which is mounted on the front seat 10 described above.

  As shown in this figure, a seat cushion frame 38 that functions as a skeleton member is disposed in the seat cushion 14. The seat cushion frame 38 is configured by integrating a plurality of components, and is formed in a U shape with the vehicle rear side opened in a plan view. The pair of left and right side frames 40 of the seat cushion frame 38 extend along the vehicle front-rear direction, and a reclining rod 46 is spanned between the rear end portions 40A. Further, a reinforcing member 44, which is a belt-like plate, is attached to the rear end portions 40A of the left and right side frames 40.

  On the inner bottom surface side of the seat cushion frame 38, a seat pan 42 as a substantially rectangular panel member in a plan view formed in a predetermined curved surface shape is disposed in consideration of the ride comfort of the occupant. At the four corners of the seat pan 42, a lower end portion of a seat spring 48 as an elastic body constituted by a tension coil spring is locked. Further, the upper end portion of the seat spring 48 is locked to the upper edge side of the side frame 40 or the upper edge side of the reinforcing member 44. Accordingly, the seat pan 42 is held in a state of being elastically suspended by the seat springs 48 installed at the four corners.

  Further, a plurality of dampers 50 as air cylinder type damper members are interposed between the seat pan 42 and the side frame 40 described above. Each damper 50 is disposed at a position adjacent to the seat spring 48, and a lower end portion is locked to a corner portion of the seat pan 42, and an upper end portion is locked to the upper edge side of the side frame 40 or the reinforcing member 44. .

(Operations and effects of this embodiment)
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  During normal vehicle travel, the seat pan 42 disposed on the lower side of the seat cushion 14 of the front seat 10 is supported by the seat cushion frame 38 in a suspended state by a plurality of seat springs 48. At this time, since the sudden pressing load to the seat pan 42 is not input, the damper 50 does not exhibit the damper function. Therefore, the ride performance of the occupant on the seat cushion 14 of the front seat 10 during normal vehicle travel is maintained well.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle crashes from this state and the occupant's waist is about to sink into the seat cushion 14, a sudden pressing load is input to the seat pan 42. For this reason, if the damper 50 is not installed, the seat pan 42 is pushed down by a considerable amount against the urging force of the seat spring 48. In the present embodiment, the seat pan frame 38 and the seat pan 42 Since a plurality of dampers 50 are interposed therebetween, the damper function is exhibited and a reaction force that supports the occupant's waist is generated. As a result, the sudden pressing load acting on the seat pan 42 is attenuated, and the seat pan 42 that has been “soft” in the vertical direction of the seat can be changed to a “rigid (or hard)” presence in the vertical direction of the seat. it can. Therefore, the downward displacement of the seat pan 42 is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the submarine phenomenon in which the occupant's waist is submerged in the seat cushion 14 of the front seat 10 when the vehicle collides.

  Further, in the case of the occupant waist restraint device 36 according to the present embodiment, since the seat pan 42 and the plurality of seat springs 48 that are existing members are used, only the damper 50 may be installed as a new component. Therefore, it is possible to make the structure quite simple. In addition, since the damper 50 is disposed adjacent to the seat spring 48, it is not necessary to secure a special installation space. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of space.

  In summary, according to the occupant waist restraint device 36 according to the present embodiment, the occupant's restraint performance is improved by preventing the occurrence of a submarine phenomenon and the ride comfort performance of the occupant on the seat cushion 14 of the front seat 10 is simplified. It is possible to achieve both improvement.

  Further, in the case of the occupant waist restraint device 36 according to the present embodiment, since the damper 50 is used, the time until the occupant is initially restrained is excellent.

  In the present embodiment, the seat pan 42 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and another member corresponding to the seat pan may be used. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the seat cushion frame 52 includes a pair of left and right side frames 52 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a rectangular seat pan 56 is disposed between them in plan view. Has been. The rear end portion 56 </ b> A of the seat pan 56 is supported so as to be swingable around a reclining rod (support shaft) 46. Further, the front end portion 56B of the seat pan 56 is cranked upward from the side frame 52, and the left and right sides formed by compression coil springs between the side frames 52 and both side portions of the front end portion 56B of the seat pan 56 are used. A pair of seat springs 48 and an air cylinder type damper 50 are disposed.

  Also with the above configuration, only the seat spring 48 is effective during normal vehicle travel, and good riding comfort can be provided. On the other hand, a large push-down force acts on the seat pan 56 at the time of a vehicle collision. At this time, the damper 50 works and the downward displacement of the seat pan 56 can be effectively suppressed.

  Furthermore, according to the above-described configuration, the number of seat springs 48 and dampers 50 can be reduced as compared with the occupant waist restraint device 36 shown in FIG. 1, thereby further simplifying the structure and reducing the cost. There is also an advantage of being able to.

  In this embodiment, the air cylinder type damper 50 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a hydraulic cylinder type damper may be used.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the seat spring 48 is used as the elastic body, but it is not necessarily a spring, and a resin member such as rubber whose hardness is adjusted may be used as the elastic body.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the occupant waist restraint apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, about the same component as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same number is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the main structure of the occupant waist restraint device according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in this figure, in the occupant waist restraint device 61 according to the second embodiment, a collapsible beam 66 bent in a substantially U shape in a plan view is provided between the side frames 64 of the seat cushion frame 62. It is characterized in that the beam 66 is rotationally biased in the direction of pushing up the seat cushion 14 and the tilting of the tiltable beam 66 is locked by a locking means in the event of a vehicle collision.

  More specifically, the reclining rod 46 and the pipe 68 are spanned in parallel vertically between the rear end portions 64A of the left and right side frames 64. The pipe 68 is disposed on the lower end side of the rear end portion 64A of the side frame 64, and one end portions of a plurality of seat springs 70 formed in an S shape in a plan view are locked.

  On the other hand, on the front side between the left and right side frames 64, a beam 66 bent in a substantially U shape in a plan view is disposed. Both ends (support shafts) 66A of the beam 66 are bent toward the outside of the side frame 64, and are rotatably supported by shaft support holes (not shown). The other end of the seat spring 70 is locked to the front end 66B of the beam 66. Accordingly, the seat spring 70 urges the front end portion 66B of the beam 66 to rotate in the direction of the seat cushion 14 (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4) with both end portions 66A serving as fulcrums.

  Further, a torsion spring 72 is wound inside the both ends 66A of the beam 66. One end of the torsion spring 72 is locked in a small hole 74 formed in the side frame 64. The other end of the torsion spring 72 is locked to the front end 66B of the beam 66. Accordingly, the torsion spring 72 also urges the front end portion 66B of the beam 66 to rotate in the direction of the seat cushion 14 (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4) with both end portions 66A serving as fulcrums. However, the urging force of the torsion spring 72 is set stronger than the urging force of the seat spring 70.

  As described above, the seat spring 70 and the torsion spring 72 can be locked to the beam 66 so that the urging directions thereof are the same, but one end portion and the other end portion of the torsion spring 72 in a natural state. The opening angle of the beam 66 may be narrower than the tilt angle of the beam 66, and the biasing direction of the torsion spring 72 may be rotated and biased in a direction that tilts the front end portion 66B of the beam 66. In this case, the front end portion 66B of the beam 66 is held at a position where the urging force of the seat spring 70 and the urging force of the torsion spring 72 are balanced.

  Further, first lock plates 76 are fixed to the tip portions of the both ends 66A of the beam 66 (portions protruding outside the side frame 64). Accordingly, the first lock plate 76 rotates integrally with the both end portions 66A around the axis line of the both end portions 66A of the beam 66. A first lock tooth 76 </ b> A is formed at the tip of the first lock plate 76. Correspondingly, support shafts 78 are erected on the middle portions in the longitudinal direction of the left and right side frames 64, and the second lock plates 80 are rotatably supported on these support shafts 78, respectively. . A second lock tooth 80 </ b> A that engages with (engages with) the first lock teeth 76 </ b> A of the first lock plate 76 is formed at the tip of the second lock plate 80. The second lock plate 80 is normally suspended so that the second lock teeth 80A face downward due to its own weight, but when the deceleration acts, the second lock plate 80 swings around the support shaft 78. Therefore, the second lock plate 80 constitutes a kind of acceleration sensor.

(Action / Effect)
According to the above configuration, during normal vehicle travel, since the large deceleration does not act on the second lock plate 80, the first lock plate 76 is in an unlocked state. For this reason, the beam 66 is rotationally biased toward the seat cushion 14 by the biasing force of the torsion spring 72 and the biasing force of the seat spring 70. Therefore, the ride performance of the occupant on the seat cushion 14 of the front seat 10 during normal vehicle travel is maintained well.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle collides from this state, the second lock plate 80 that also functions as an acceleration sensor is swung around the support shaft 78 toward the front side of the vehicle (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4) by the inertial force at that time. The As a result, the second lock teeth 80A of the second lock plate 80 mesh with the first lock teeth 76A of the first lock plate 76, and the first lock plate 76 enters the locked state. Since the first lock plate 76 is fixed to both ends 66 </ b> A of the beam 66, the beam 66 does not fall down on the vehicle lower side against the urging force of the torsion spring 72 and the seat spring 70. Therefore, the beam 66 cannot be displaced further downward, and the depression of the occupant waist is suppressed. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the submarine phenomenon in which the occupant's waist is submerged in the seat cushion 14 of the front seat 10 when the vehicle collides.

  Further, in the occupant waist restraint device 61 of the present embodiment, the configuration is established by the beam 66, the torsion spring 72, the seat spring 70, the first lock plate 76 and the second lock plate 80, and the seat spring 70 is originally provided. Since the beam 66 and the torsion spring 72 are wires, and the first lock plate 76 and the second lock plate 80 are small plate materials, the structure should be made quite simple. Is possible.

  Therefore, the occupant waist restraint device 61 according to the present embodiment also has a simple structure, improves the restraint performance of the occupant by preventing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon, and rides the occupant on the vehicle seat, as in the first embodiment. It is possible to achieve both comfort performance improvement.

  In the present embodiment, the second lock plate 80 is used with a function as an acceleration sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other lock means may be employed.

  For example, the occupant waist restraint device 90 shown in FIG. 5 is configured differently from the seat pan structure of the same type as the occupant waist restraint device 36 shown in FIG. 3 which is a modification of the first embodiment described above. The lock means is added. Specifically, upper end portions of a substantially rectangular frame-shaped lock plate 92 are fixed to both side portions of the front portion 56B of the seat pan 56, respectively. A cylindrical projection 96 fixed to the side surface of the side frame 54 is fitted in a guide hole 94 formed in a curved shape at the center of the lock plate 92. Therefore, the seat pan 56 can move up and down while the front portion 56B side is guided by the projection portion 96 by the urging force of the seat spring 48 or against the urging force with the rear portion 56A side as a fulcrum. Yes. Further, sawtooth-shaped lock teeth 92A are formed on the rear end surface of the lock plate 92, and a solenoid sensor 98 that meshes with the lock teeth 92A is provided at a position facing the lock teeth 92A. When a vehicle collision state is detected, the solenoid sensor 98 is energized by a controller (not shown) so that the lock member (plunger) 100 moves forward with the urging force and engages with the lock teeth 92A. The solenoid sensor 98 including the lock member 100 is fixed to the side frame 54 by a bracket (not shown).

  The same effect can be obtained by the electrical system.

[Supplementary explanation of this embodiment]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to the front seat 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a vehicle seat such as a three-row second seat.

It is a whole perspective view which shows the principal part structure of the passenger | crew waist restraint apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment in the state before an action | operation. It is a side view which shows the whole structure of the front seat by which the passenger | crew waist restraint apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is mounted. It is a whole perspective view which shows the modification of the passenger | crew waist | hip | lumbar part restraint apparatus shown by FIG. It is a whole perspective view which shows the principal part structure of the passenger | crew waist restraint apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment in the state before an action | operation. It is a whole perspective view which shows the modification of the passenger | crew waist | hip | lumbar part restraint apparatus shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 Front seat (vehicle seat)
14 Seat cushion 36 Crew occupant restraint device 38 Seat cushion frame 42 Seat pan (panel material)
48 Seat spring (elastic body)
50 Damper (Damper member)
52 Seat cushion frame 56 Seat pan (panel material)
61 occupant waist restraint device 62 seat cushion frame 66 beam (support member)
70 Seat spring (biasing means)
72 Torsion spring (biasing means)
76 First lock plate (locking means)
78 Second lock plate (locking means)
90 occupant waist restraint device 92 lock plate (locking means)
98 Solenoid sensor (locking means)

Claims (2)

An occupant waist restraint device that restrains an occupant waist to a vehicle seat in a vehicle collision,
A panel material disposed on the lower side of the seat cushion of the vehicle seat;
A plurality of elastic bodies that elastically support the panel material in a suspended state or a pushed-up state on a seat cushion frame;
A damper member interposed between the seat cushion frame and the panel material, and a damper member that attenuates this and suppresses downward displacement of the panel material when a sudden pressing load is input to the panel material;
An occupant waist restraint device characterized by comprising: An occupant waist restraint device that restrains an occupant waist to a vehicle seat in a vehicle collision,
A support member disposed below the front portion of the seat cushion of the vehicle seat and capable of tilting in a direction approaching and separating from the seat cushion around the support shaft;
An urging means for connecting the support member and the seat cushion frame, and applying an urging force in the approaching direction to the seat cushion to the support member;
Lock means provided on at least one of the support member and the seat cushion frame to forcibly prevent downward displacement of the support member by detecting a collision state;
An occupant waist restraint device characterized by comprising:

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