JP2014201088A - Vehicular seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To change a seating face shape of a seat back freely according to a posture of an upper half body of a seating person.SOLUTION: A seat back (6P) has a lower part 11 facing to a chest of a seating person at a lower position of a gravity position of the seating person chest with a standing state as reference and an upper part 12 facing to the chest of the seating person at an upper position of the seat upper than the lower part 11. By a support mechanism SM1, the seating face of the lower part 11 projects larger than the seating face of the upper part 12, therefore the seating face of the seat back (6P) from the lower part 11 to the upper part 12 can be changed into an inclined state.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat including a seat back that is connected to a seat cushion so as to stand upright, and a support mechanism (a mechanism that partially projects a seating surface of the seat back).

As this type of vehicle seat, a vehicle seat including a seat cushion, a seat back, and a bag member is known (see Patent Document 1).
In the known technique, bag members (an example of a support mechanism) that can be inflated or contracted are provided in the seat cushion and the seat back, respectively. At this time, in the seat back, the bag member is provided at a position in contact with the occupant's ninth thoracic vertebra and a position in contact with the sacrum / iliac of the occupant. Then, the passenger's fatigue can be reduced by appropriately inflating each bag member and changing the support pressure of the seat back.

By the way, in this type of vehicle seat, it is desirable that the seating surface shape of the seat back can be appropriately changed according to the posture of the upper body of the occupant.
For example, when a normal occupant (S-shaped posture) leans on the seat back, the occupant's upper body (exclusively the occupant's rib cage) tends to tilt backward from the center of gravity position. For this reason, it is desirable for a normal occupant to incline the seat back part of the seat back (position in contact with the occupant rib cage) gradually toward the rear of the seat as it goes upward with the center of gravity of the occupant upper body as a guide.
Further, when the back of the occupant leans against the seat back, the occupant's upper body tends to tilt slightly forward from the center of gravity. For this reason, it is desirable that a part of the seating surface (a position in contact with the occupant's rib cage) be flattened or gradually inclined toward the rear of the seat as it goes downward (center of gravity).
Here, the occupant thorax is a part forming the outer skeleton of the occupant thorax and is composed of a plurality of bones (12 thoracic vertebrae, etc.). The center of gravity of the upper body of the occupant is typically placed in the seventh to ninth thoracic vertebrae.

JP 2005-124686 A

By the way, in the seat back of the known technique, the bag member is arranged at the facing position (center of gravity position) of the ninth thoracic vertebra. For this reason, even if the bag member is inflated, the entire upper body of the occupant is merely moved forward of the seat (with the occupant rib cage together with its center of gravity). For this reason, the configuration of the known technique is unsuitable for changing the seating surface shape according to the posture of the occupant's upper body (for example, the position in contact with the thorax is gradually inclined rearward as it goes upward).
The present invention has been devised in view of the above points, and a problem to be solved by the present invention is to make it possible to change the seating surface shape of the seat back according to the posture of the occupant's upper body.

As means for solving the above problems, a vehicle seat according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a seat cushion, a seat back connected to the seat cushion so as to be able to stand upright, and a support mechanism.
And by making the seat back seating surface partly protrude by the support mechanism, the seat back seating surface shape can be changed, but in this type of configuration, the seat back depends on the posture of the occupant's upper body. It is desirable that the seating surface shape can be changed.

In the present invention, the above-described seat back has a lower part facing the occupant rib below the center of gravity of the occupant upper body and an upper part facing the occupant rib above the seat rather than the lower part, based on the standing state. . Therefore, the seating surface of the lower part is made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part by the support mechanism, so that the seating surface of the seat back from the lower part to the upper part can be changed to be inclined.
In the present invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be suitably changed by providing a desired protrusion size difference between the lower part and the upper part by the support mechanism.

  The vehicle seat of the second invention is the vehicle seat of the first invention, and the above-mentioned support mechanism has a maintenance mechanism that maintains a difference in protrusion dimension between the lower part and the upper part. Also, it is possible to project the lower part more reliably.

The vehicle seat of the third invention is the vehicle seat of the first invention or the second invention, and the support mechanism can be moved up and down with the seat back in the standing state as a reference.
In the present invention, by appropriately moving the support mechanism up and down in accordance with the occupant body disparity and the like, the support mechanism can be reliably arranged at appropriate positions of the lower part and the upper part (occupant rib cage).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be changed according to the posture of the occupant upper body. According to the second invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be changed more reliably according to the posture of the occupant upper body. According to the third aspect of the invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be changed more reliably according to the posture of the occupant upper body.

It is a perspective view of a vehicle seat. It is a schematic side view of a seated passenger model and a part of a vehicle seat. It is a perspective view of a support mechanism, (a) is a figure of the bag member of an inflated state, (b) is a figure of the bag member of a contracted state. It is a schematic side view of a passenger's model and a part of a seat back. (A) is a perspective view of the support mechanism of Example 2, (b) is a schematic side view of a passenger | crew model and a seat back. It is a schematic side view of the passenger | crew model and seat back which show the support mechanism concerning a modification, (a) is a figure of the modification 1, (b) is a figure of the modification 2, (c). These are figures of modification 3. It is a front view of the support mechanism concerning the modification 4.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In each of the drawings, a reference symbol F is attached to the front of the vehicle seat, a reference symbol B is attached to the rear of the vehicle seat, a reference symbol UP is provided above the vehicle seat, and a reference symbol DW is provided below the vehicle seat.
The vehicle seat 2 in FIG. 1 has a seat component (seat cushion 4, seat back 6, headrest 8). Each of these seat constituent members includes a frame member (4F, 6F, 8F) forming a seat skeleton, a cushion material (4P, 6P, 8P) forming a seat outer shape, and a skin material (4S, 6S, 8S).

<Example 1>
The seat back 6 is a member (substantially rectangular shape) that is connected to the seat cushion 4 so as to be able to rise and fall, and includes a configuration (lower part 11, upper part 12, support mechanism SM <b> 1) described later (FIGS. 1 to 4). See).
Here, the lower portion of the seat back 6 is connected to the rear portion of the seat cushion 4 via the reclining shaft R, and can stand or tilt with respect to the seat cushion 4. For example, with the reclining axis R as the rotation center, the seat back 6 can be displaced between a standing posture (state shown in FIG. 1) that stands up with respect to the seat cushion 4 and a tilting posture (not shown) that tilts forward and backward. It is.

In this embodiment, the seating surface of the seat back 6 is partially projected by the support mechanism SM1, but in this type of configuration, it is desirable that the seating surface shape can be changed according to the posture of the upper body of the occupant.
That is, for a normal occupant, it is desirable that a part of the seating surface of the seat back 6 (a position in contact with the occupant rib 2c) is gradually inclined rearward as it goes upward with the center of gravity 4c of the occupant upper body as a guideline ( (See FIG. 4). In addition, with reference to FIG. 4, since the passenger | crew does not contact | abut, the seat back 6 upper end side does not need to change especially.
In addition, it is desirable that a part of the seating surface of the seat back 6 is flattened or gradually inclined toward the rear of the seat as it goes downward (center of gravity 4c) (see FIG. 2).
Therefore, in this embodiment, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 is changed according to the posture of the upper body of the occupant with the configuration described later. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

[Lower part, upper part]
In this embodiment, a part of the seat back 6 is divided into a lower part 11 and an upper part 12 with reference to the position of the center of gravity 4c of the upper body of the occupant (see FIG. 2).
The lower portion 11 is a position in contact with the occupant rib cage below the center of gravity of the occupant's upper body with reference to the seat back 6 in the standing state. The upper part 12 is a position in contact with the occupant rib cage above the seat than the lower part 11.
Here, the center of gravity of the upper body of the occupant is typically a portion extending from the seventh thoracic vertebra to the ninth thoracic vertebra. For example, assuming an average American adult male, a large occupant model (corresponding to AM95 in the SAE standard, hereinafter referred to as occupant CM) is prepared. In this occupant CM, for example, the height L1 of the center of gravity 4c can be set to 30.7 mm with the hip point HP as a reference. With the reclining axis R as a reference, for example, the height L2 of the center of gravity 4c can be set to 386.4 mm.
In the present embodiment, the seating surface from the lower part 11 to the upper part 12 can be changed into an inclined shape by providing a difference in the projecting dimensions of the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 by a support mechanism SM1 described later.

[Support mechanism]
The support mechanism SM1 is a mechanism that changes the seating surface shape of these parts while supporting the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 in a plane (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
The support mechanism SM1 of the present embodiment has a bag member 20 and related configurations (hose member, pump member, control member) (not shown) (see FIG. 3).
The bag member 20 of the present embodiment is a substantially rectangular bag body (in front view) that is long in the sheet width direction, and can be displaced between a contracted state and an inflated state by inflow and outflow of gas (gas or air). It is.
The bag member 20 in an inflated state is expanded in a triangular shape in a side view, and the lower side expansion coefficient is set larger than the upper side expansion coefficient. Thus, by expanding the bag member 20 in a triangular shape, the difference in the protruding dimension between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained as will be described later (the expanded shape of the bag member 20 functions as a maintaining mechanism).
Further, the bag member 20 in the contracted state is in a substantially flat state with the front surface FS side and the rear surface RS side of the bag member 20 being close to each other. The bag member 20 of the present embodiment can be provided with an inner folding line 20a in the center from the side surface LS to the bottom surface BS. When the bag member 20 is contracted, the front surface FS side and the rear surface RS side can be smoothly brought close to each other (the contracted state) while the bottom surface BS side is dented inwardly.

[Support mechanism installation work]
Referring to FIG. 4, the above-described bag member 20 is disposed so as to straddle the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 while being disposed in the seat (the back surface side of the cushioning material 6P).
In the present embodiment, the lower part of the bag member 20 (part with a high expansion coefficient) is arranged on the lower part 11 side, and the upper part of the bag member 20 (part with a low expansion coefficient) is arranged on the upper part 12 side. The bag member 20 (rear surface RS side) is supported by a support member (not shown) such as a frame member 6F or a contour mat so that the bag member 20 can be inflated toward the seating side.
Next, the bag member 20 is communicated with a pump member (not shown) via a hose member (not shown), so that gas (gas or air) can be supplied to or discharged from the bag member 20. At this time, by controlling the supply and discharge of gas by a control member (not shown), the bag member 20 can be appropriately inflated or contracted according to the occupant CM.
Here, the cushioning material 6P (material) is not particularly limited, but can be formed of, for example, a resin having an elastic force such as polyurethane foam, and can be elastically deformed by pressing or the like when the occupant CM is seated.

[Operation of support mechanism]
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the support mechanism SM <b> 1 is operated to appropriately change the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 according to the posture of the occupant upper body.
For example, for a normal occupant CM, the bag member 20 is inflated in a triangular shape (the lower side is inflated more greatly), and the seating surface of the lower part 11 protrudes larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12. . In this way, the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 (positions in contact with the occupant rib 2c) are gradually inclined rearward as they go upward, so that the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 is matched to the posture of the occupant upper body (normal). Can do.
Further, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 (positions in contact with the occupant rib cage 2c) can be made flat by contracting the bag member 20 with respect to the occupant CM on the back of the cat. Typically, the cushion material 6P is slightly bent and deformed by the occupant CM pressing, and the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 gradually incline toward the rear of the seat as they naturally go downward. For this reason, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be matched to the posture of the occupant's upper body (back).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably deformed by providing a desired protruding dimension difference between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 in the support mechanism SM1. At this time, the bag member 20 (substantially triangular) can be continuously deformed while planarly supporting the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12.
Further, in this embodiment, the bag member 20 expands in a substantially triangular shape (has a maintenance mechanism), so that a difference in projecting dimension between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained.
For this reason, according to the present Example, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be changed according to the posture of the occupant upper body.

[Modification 1]
Here, the configuration of the support mechanism SM1 (a configuration that supports the surface) may take various forms in addition to the form of the first embodiment.
For example, the support mechanism SM1 of Modification 1 is a member (link structure) that can be deformed into a substantially inverted V shape (side view), and includes a first portion 31, a second portion 32, and a hinge portion 33 (see FIG. 6 (a)).
The first part 31 and the second part 32 are both flat plate members that are long in the sheet width direction, and the dimensions in the short direction extend across the lower part 11 and the upper part 12.

In this modification, the end portion of the first portion 31 and the end portion of the second portion 32 are connected to each other at the hinge portion 33 so as to be rotatable. By doing so, the support mechanism SM1 is closed in a closed state in which the free end of the first part 31 and the free end of the second part 32 are close to each other, and in an open state in which the free ends are separated from each other (a state in which the support mechanism SM1 is deployed in a substantially inverted V shape). ).
The free ends of both the parts 31 and 32 having a large opening ratio are arranged on the lower part 11 side, and the hinge part 33 side having a small opening ratio is arranged on the upper part 12 side. Then, by supporting the back side (second part 32 side) of the support mechanism SM1 with a support member (not shown), the support mechanism SM1 can be deployed toward the seating side.

For a normal occupant CM, the support mechanism SM1 can be opened (with the free end side separated), and the seating surface of the lower part 11 can be made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12. Further, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat with the support mechanism SM1 in a closed state (with the free end side approached) for the occupant CM on the back of the cat.
Thus, also in this modified example, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably deformed by the support mechanism SM1. At this time, the first part 31 can be continuously deformed while supporting the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 in a plane.
Further, in the present modification, the support mechanism SM1 is deployed in a substantially inverted V shape, so that the difference in protruding dimension between the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be maintained (the developed shape of the support mechanism functions as a maintenance mechanism).

<Example 2>
Since the vehicle seat of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the basic structure of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the common structures and the detailed description is omitted.
The support mechanism SM2 is a mechanism that changes the seating surface shape of these parts while locally supporting the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 (linearly) (see FIG. 5).
The support mechanism SM2 of the present embodiment includes a first bag member 21, a second bag member 22, and related configurations (hose member, pump member, control member) not shown.
The first bag member 21 is a substantially cylindrical bag body that is long in the sheet width direction. The second bag member is a substantially cylindrical bag body that is long in the seat width direction, and can be expanded more than the first bag member 21.

In the present embodiment, the second bag member 22 having a large expansion rate is disposed on the lower portion 11 side, and the first bag member 21 having a small expansion rate is disposed on the upper portion 12 side. And the back side (seat inward side) of each bag member 21 and 22 is supported by a supporting member (not shown) so that it can be inflated toward the seating side.
Next, each bag member 21, 22 is connected to a pump member via a hose member or the like, so that gas (gas or air) can be supplied to or discharged from each bag member 21, 22. At this time, by controlling the supply and discharge of the gas by the control member, the bag members 21 and 22 can be inflated or contracted independently or synchronously.

For a normal occupant CM, the second bag member 22 can be inflated so that the seating surface of the lower part 11 protrudes larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12 (see FIG. 5B). ). Moreover, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat by contracting the second bag member 22 for the occupant CM on the back of the cat. At this time, by maintaining the first bag member 21 in an inflated state (by causing the upper portion 12 to protrude), the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be gradually inclined backward toward the seat.
Thus, also in the present embodiment, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably deformed by the support mechanism SM2.
Also in the present embodiment, by changing the expansion rate of the first bag member 21 and the second bag member 22, the difference in protrusion size between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained (difference in expansion rate of each bag member). Functions as a maintenance mechanism).

[Modification 2]
Here, the configuration of the support mechanism SM2 (a configuration instructed locally) can take various forms in addition to the form of the second embodiment.
For example, the support mechanism SM2 of Modification 2 includes a third bag member 23, a fourth bag member 24, and a fifth bag member 25 (see FIG. 6B). The third bag member 23 to the fifth bag member 25 are all substantially cylindrical bag bodies (same shape and same size) elongated in the sheet width direction, and have substantially the same expansion rate.
Therefore, in the present modification, the third bag member 23 is disposed on the upper portion 12 side. Further, the fourth bag member 24 and the fifth bag member 25 are arranged in parallel in the seat front-rear direction on the lower portion 11 side.

For the normal passenger CM, the fourth bag member 24 and the fifth bag member 25 are both inflated. By doing so, the seating surface of the lower part 11 can be made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12.
Further, for the stoop occupant CM, the third bag member 23 to the fifth bag member 25 are contracted, or only one of the fourth bag member 24 and the fifth bag member 25 is contracted. 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat. At this time, by maintaining only the third bag member 23 in an inflated state (by causing the upper portion 12 to protrude), the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be gradually inclined rearward as they go downward.
Thus, also in this modification, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably changed by the support mechanism SM2. Also in this modified example, by changing the number of the bag members 20 disposed, the difference in the protruding dimension between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained (the difference in the number of disposed bag members 20 is a maintenance mechanism). Function).

[Modification 3]
Further, in the support mechanism SM2 of Modification 3, the sixth bag member 26 (single member) is disposed only on the lower portion 11 side (see FIG. 6C). The sixth bag member 26 is a substantially cylindrical bag body that is long in the sheet width direction. For the normal occupant CM, the sixth bag member 26 can be inflated so that the seating surface of the lower part 11 protrudes larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12. Further, the lower bag 11 and the upper plate 12 can be made flat by contracting the sixth bag member 26 for the occupant CM on the back of the cat. For this reason, also in this modification, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably changed by the support mechanism SM2.

[Modification 4]
The support mechanism SM2 of Modification 4 includes a seventh bag member 27 (a substantially rectangular bag body in front view), and includes a first inflating portion 41, a second inflating portion 42, and partition portions 44a and 44b ( (See FIG. 7).
The first inflating part 41 is a bag-like part formed on the upper part of the seventh bag member 27. The second inflating part 42 is a bag-like part formed at the lower part of the seventh bag member 27 and has a volume larger than that of the first inflating part 41.
The partition portions 44 a and 44 b are portions that partition the first inflatable portion 41 and the second inflatable portion 42, and are configured by connecting the front surface and the back surface of the seventh bag member 27. The partition portion 44a (44b) of the present modification is a pair of belt-like portions extending from one side (other side) of the seventh bag member 27 toward the center, and the end side thereof is formed into a substantially circular shape (letter character shape) Is). And between the division parts 44a and 44b, the communication hole part H1 which connects the 1st expansion part 41 and the 2nd expansion part 42 is provided.

In this modification, the second inflating part 42 (part having a large capacity) is arranged on the lower part 11 side, and the first inflating part 41 (part having a small capacity) is arranged on the upper part 12 side. And the back side (seat inner side) of the seventh bag member 27 is supported by a support member (not shown) so that it can be inflated toward the seating side.
Then, the hose member HM (not shown) is inserted from the lower part (hole part H2) of the second inflating part 42 through the communication hole part H1, and the opening of the hose member HM is arranged on the first inflating part 41 side.

For the normal occupant CM, the seventh bag member 27 is inflated (the second inflating portion 42 is greatly inflated) (see FIG. 7). By doing so, the seating surface of the lower part 11 can be made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12 (see FIG. 2). Further, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat by contracting the seventh bag member 27 for the occupant CM on the back of the cat.
Thus, also in this modification, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably changed by the support mechanism SM2. Also in this modified example, the difference in protrusion size between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained by providing a difference in the capacities of the expanding portions 41 and 42 in the partition portions 44a and 44b (maintenance mechanism).

<Example 3>
Since the vehicle seat of the third embodiment is substantially the same as the basic structure of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the common structures and the detailed description is omitted.
In this embodiment, in each of the above-described embodiments, the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) can be moved up and down on the basis of the seat back 6 in the standing state (see FIGS. 4 to 7). For example, the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) can be attached to the frame member 6F via a rail member (not shown) to be movable up and down the seat.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) is appropriately moved up and down according to the occupant physical difference or the like, so that the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) can be reliably arranged at appropriate positions of the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12.

The vehicle seat 2 of the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can take other various embodiments.
(1) In the present embodiment, the configurations of the support mechanisms SM1 and SM2 are exemplified, but the configuration of the mechanisms is not intended to be limited. For example, in this embodiment, a support mechanism (bag member or the like) that is long in the seat width direction is used, but the mechanism only needs to have a size that can face the occupant rib cage. Further, the number and shape of the bag members and the like can be appropriately changed according to the seat configuration. For example, three or more bag members can be juxtaposed above and below the seat. Moreover, the support mechanism of a link mechanism can be separately provided in a 1st site | part and a 2nd site | part. Further, the vertical dimension of the support mechanism may be adjusted as appropriate so that the support mechanism may be arranged so as to be able to face at least a part of the lower part and the upper part (the part in contact with the occupant rib cage) or to be able to face all over both parts. You can also.

(2) In the present embodiment (Example 1), the example in which the inner folding line 20a is provided on the bag member 20 has been described. However, a bellows structure may be provided on the bottom surface side of the back member (accordion shape).
(3) In the present embodiment, an average American male adult is assumed, but the target occupant can be changed as appropriate. And according to the passenger | crew who makes object, the gravity center position of a passenger | crew's upper body can be set suitably. At this time, in order to cover a wide occupant layer, it is desirable to provide an appropriate range in the position of the center of gravity.

2 Vehicle Seat 4 Seat Cushion 6P Cushion Material 6 Seat Back 6F Frame Member 11 Lower Part 12 Upper Part 20 Bag Member CM Crew SM1, SM2 Support Mechanism 2c Crew Thorax 4c Center of Gravity

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat including a seat back that is connected to a seat cushion so as to stand upright, and a support mechanism (a mechanism that partially projects a seating surface of the seat back).

As this type of vehicle seat, a vehicle seat including a seat cushion, a seat back, and a bag member is known (see Patent Document 1).
In the known technique, bag members (an example of a support mechanism) that can be inflated or contracted are provided in the seat cushion and the seat back, respectively. At this time, in the seat back, the bag member is provided at a position in contact with the occupant's ninth thoracic vertebra and a position in contact with the sacrum / iliac of the occupant. Then, the passenger's fatigue can be reduced by appropriately inflating each bag member and changing the support pressure of the seat back.

By the way, in this type of vehicle seat, it is desirable that the seating surface shape of the seat back can be appropriately changed according to the posture of the upper body of the occupant.
For example, when a normal occupant (S-shaped posture) leans on the seat back, the occupant's upper body (exclusively the occupant's rib cage) tends to tilt backward from the center of gravity position. For this reason, it is desirable for a normal occupant to incline the seat back part of the seat back (position in contact with the occupant rib cage) gradually toward the rear of the seat as it goes upward with the center of gravity of the occupant upper body as a guide.
Further, when the back of the occupant leans against the seat back, the occupant's upper body tends to tilt slightly forward from the center of gravity. For this reason, it is desirable that a part of the seating surface (a position in contact with the occupant's rib cage) be flattened or gradually inclined toward the rear of the seat as it goes downward (center of gravity).
Here, the occupant thorax is a part forming the outer skeleton of the occupant thorax and is composed of a plurality of bones (12 thoracic vertebrae, etc.). The center of gravity of the upper body of the occupant is typically placed in the seventh to ninth thoracic vertebrae.

JP 2005-124686 A

By the way, in the seat back of the known technique, the bag member is arranged at the facing position (center of gravity position) of the ninth thoracic vertebra. For this reason, even if the bag member is inflated, the entire upper body of the occupant is merely moved forward of the seat (with the occupant rib cage together with its center of gravity). For this reason, the configuration of the known technique is unsuitable for changing the seating surface shape according to the posture of the occupant's upper body (for example, the position in contact with the thorax is gradually inclined rearward as it goes upward).
The present invention has been devised in view of the above points, and a problem to be solved by the present invention is to make it possible to change the seating surface shape of the seat back according to the posture of the occupant's upper body.

As means for solving the above problems, a vehicle seat according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a seat cushion, a seat back connected to the seat cushion so as to be able to stand upright, and a support mechanism.
And by making the seat back seating surface partly protrude by the support mechanism, the seat back seating surface shape can be changed, but in this type of configuration, the seat back depends on the posture of the occupant's upper body. It is desirable that the seating surface shape can be changed.

In the present invention, the above-described seat back, based on the upright state, has a lower portion facing the occupant thorax below the center of gravity of the occupant thorax, and an upper portion facing the occupant thorax in the seat above the lower portion . Therefore, the seating surface of the lower part is made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part by the support mechanism, so that the seating surface of the seat back from the lower part to the upper part can be changed to be inclined.
In the present invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be suitably changed by providing a desired protrusion size difference between the lower part and the upper part by the support mechanism.

The vehicle seat of the second invention is a vehicle seat of the first aspect of the invention, the aforementioned support mechanism, since it has a maintenance mechanism for maintaining the projecting dimension difference of the lower part and upper part, the center of gravity of the occupant thorax Also, it is possible to project the lower part more reliably.

The vehicle seat of the third invention is the vehicle seat of the first invention or the second invention, and the support mechanism can be moved up and down with the seat back in the standing state as a reference.
In the present invention, by appropriately moving the support mechanism up and down in accordance with the occupant body disparity and the like, the support mechanism can be reliably arranged at appropriate positions of the lower part and the upper part (occupant rib cage).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be changed according to the posture of the occupant upper body. According to the second invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be changed more reliably according to the posture of the occupant upper body. According to the third aspect of the invention, the seating surface shape of the seat back can be changed more reliably according to the posture of the occupant upper body.

It is a perspective view of a vehicle seat. It is a schematic side view of a seated passenger model and a part of a vehicle seat. It is a perspective view of a support mechanism, (a) is a figure of the bag member of an inflated state, (b) is a figure of the bag member of a contracted state. It is a schematic side view of a passenger's model and a part of a seat back. (A) is a perspective view of the support mechanism of Example 2, (b) is a schematic side view of a passenger | crew model and a seat back. It is a schematic side view of the passenger | crew model and seat back which show the support mechanism concerning a modification, (a) is a figure of the modification 1, (b) is a figure of the modification 2, (c). These are figures of modification 3. It is a front view of the support mechanism concerning the modification 4.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In each of the drawings, a reference symbol F is attached to the front of the vehicle seat, a reference symbol B is attached to the rear of the vehicle seat, a reference symbol UP is provided above the vehicle seat, and a reference symbol DW is provided below the vehicle seat.
The vehicle seat 2 in FIG. 1 has a seat component (seat cushion 4, seat back 6, headrest 8). Each of these seat constituent members includes a frame member (4F, 6F, 8F) forming a seat skeleton, a cushion material (4P, 6P, 8P) forming a seat outer shape, and a skin material (4S, 6S, 8S).

<Example 1>
The seat back 6 is a member (substantially rectangular shape) that is connected to the seat cushion 4 so as to be able to rise and fall, and includes a configuration (lower part 11, upper part 12, support mechanism SM <b> 1) described later (FIGS. 1 to 4). See).
Here, the lower portion of the seat back 6 is connected to the rear portion of the seat cushion 4 via the reclining shaft R, and can stand or tilt with respect to the seat cushion 4. For example, with the reclining axis R as the rotation center, the seat back 6 can be displaced between a standing posture (state shown in FIG. 1) that stands up with respect to the seat cushion 4 and a tilting posture (not shown) that tilts forward and backward. It is.

In this embodiment, the seating surface of the seat back 6 is partially projected by the support mechanism SM1, but in this type of configuration, it is desirable that the seating surface shape can be changed according to the posture of the upper body of the occupant.
That is, for a normal occupant, it is desirable that a part of the seating surface of the seat back 6 (a position in contact with the occupant rib cage 2c) is gradually tilted rearward as it goes upward with the centroid 4c of the occupant rib cage as a guideline. (See FIG. 4). In addition, with reference to FIG. 4, since the passenger | crew does not contact | abut, the seat back 6 upper end side does not need to change especially.
In addition, it is desirable that a part of the seating surface of the seat back 6 is flattened or gradually inclined toward the rear of the seat as it goes downward (center of gravity 4c) (see FIG. 2).
Therefore, in this embodiment, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 is changed according to the posture of the upper body of the occupant with the configuration described later. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

[Lower part, upper part]
In this embodiment, a part of the seat back 6 is divided into a lower part 11 and an upper part 12 with reference to the center of gravity (4c) position of the occupant rib cage (see FIG. 2).
The lower part 11 is a position in contact with the occupant rib under the position of the center of gravity of the occupant rib with respect to the seat back 6 in the standing state. The upper part 12 is a position in contact with the occupant rib cage above the seat than the lower part 11.
Here, the center of gravity 4c of the occupant chest is typically a portion extending from the seventh thoracic vertebra to the ninth thoracic vertebra. For example, assuming an average American adult male, a large occupant model (corresponding to AM95 in the SAE standard, hereinafter referred to as occupant CM) is prepared. In this occupant CM, for example, the height L1 of the center of gravity 4c can be set to 30.7 mm with the hip point HP as a reference. With the reclining axis R as a reference, for example, the height L2 of the center of gravity 4c can be set to 386.4 mm.
In the present embodiment, the seating surface from the lower part 11 to the upper part 12 can be changed into an inclined shape by providing a difference in the projecting dimensions of the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 by a support mechanism SM1 described later.

[Support mechanism]
The support mechanism SM1 is a mechanism that changes the seating surface shape of these parts while supporting the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 in a plane (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
The support mechanism SM1 of the present embodiment has a bag member 20 and related configurations (hose member, pump member, control member) (not shown) (see FIG. 3).
The bag member 20 of the present embodiment is a substantially rectangular bag body (in front view) that is long in the sheet width direction, and can be displaced between a contracted state and an inflated state by inflow and outflow of gas (gas or air). It is.
The bag member 20 in an inflated state is expanded in a triangular shape in a side view, and the lower side expansion coefficient is set larger than the upper side expansion coefficient. Thus, by expanding the bag member 20 in a triangular shape, the difference in the protruding dimension between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained as will be described later (the expanded shape of the bag member 20 functions as a maintaining mechanism).
Further, the bag member 20 in the contracted state is in a substantially flat state with the front surface FS side and the rear surface RS side of the bag member 20 being close to each other. The bag member 20 of the present embodiment can be provided with an inner folding line 20a in the center from the side surface LS to the bottom surface BS. When the bag member 20 is contracted, the front surface FS side and the rear surface RS side can be smoothly brought close to each other (the contracted state) while the bottom surface BS side is dented inwardly.

[Support mechanism installation work]
Referring to FIG. 4, the above-described bag member 20 is disposed so as to straddle the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 while being disposed in the seat (the back surface side of the cushioning material 6P).
In the present embodiment, the lower part of the bag member 20 (part with a high expansion coefficient) is arranged on the lower part 11 side, and the upper part of the bag member 20 (part with a low expansion coefficient) is arranged on the upper part 12 side. The bag member 20 (rear surface RS side) is supported by a support member (not shown) such as a frame member 6F or a contour mat so that the bag member 20 can be inflated toward the seating side.
Next, the bag member 20 is communicated with a pump member (not shown) via a hose member (not shown), so that gas (gas or air) can be supplied to or discharged from the bag member 20. At this time, by controlling the supply and discharge of gas by a control member (not shown), the bag member 20 can be appropriately inflated or contracted according to the occupant CM.
Here, the cushioning material 6P (material) is not particularly limited, but can be formed of, for example, a resin having an elastic force such as polyurethane foam, and can be elastically deformed by pressing or the like when the occupant CM is seated.

[Operation of support mechanism]
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the support mechanism SM <b> 1 is operated to appropriately change the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 according to the posture of the occupant upper body.
For example, for a normal occupant CM, the bag member 20 is inflated in a triangular shape (the lower side is inflated more greatly), and the seating surface of the lower part 11 protrudes larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12. . In this way, the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 (positions in contact with the occupant rib 2c) are gradually inclined rearward as they go upward, so that the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 is matched to the posture of the occupant upper body (normal). Can do.
Further, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 (positions in contact with the occupant rib cage 2c) can be made flat by contracting the bag member 20 with respect to the occupant CM on the back of the cat. Typically, the cushion material 6P is slightly bent and deformed by the occupant CM pressing, and the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 gradually incline toward the rear of the seat as they naturally go downward. For this reason, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be matched to the posture of the occupant's upper body (back).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably deformed by providing a desired protruding dimension difference between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 in the support mechanism SM1. At this time, the bag member 20 (substantially triangular) can be continuously deformed while planarly supporting the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12.
Further, in this embodiment, the bag member 20 expands in a substantially triangular shape (has a maintenance mechanism), so that a difference in projecting dimension between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained.
For this reason, according to the present Example, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be changed according to the posture of the occupant upper body.

[Modification 1]
Here, the configuration of the support mechanism SM1 (a configuration that supports the surface) may take various forms in addition to the form of the first embodiment.
For example, the support mechanism SM1 of Modification 1 is a member (link structure) that can be deformed into a substantially inverted V shape (side view), and includes a first portion 31, a second portion 32, and a hinge portion 33 (see FIG. 6 (a)).
The first part 31 and the second part 32 are both flat plate members that are long in the sheet width direction, and the dimensions in the short direction extend across the lower part 11 and the upper part 12.

In this modification, the end portion of the first portion 31 and the end portion of the second portion 32 are connected to each other at the hinge portion 33 so as to be rotatable. By doing so, the support mechanism SM1 is closed in a closed state in which the free end of the first part 31 and the free end of the second part 32 are close to each other, and in an open state in which the free ends are separated from each other (a state in which the support mechanism SM1 is deployed in a substantially inverted V shape ).
The free ends of both the parts 31 and 32 having a large opening ratio are arranged on the lower part 11 side, and the hinge part 33 side having a small opening ratio is arranged on the upper part 12 side. Then, by supporting the back side (second part 32 side) of the support mechanism SM1 with a support member (not shown), the support mechanism SM1 can be deployed toward the seating side.

For a normal occupant CM, the support mechanism SM1 can be opened (with the free end side separated), and the seating surface of the lower part 11 can be made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12. Further, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat with the support mechanism SM1 in a closed state (with the free end side approached) for the occupant CM on the back of the cat.
Thus, also in this modified example, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably deformed by the support mechanism SM1. At this time, the first part 31 can be continuously deformed while supporting the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 in a plane.
Further, in the present modification, the support mechanism SM1 is deployed in a substantially inverted V shape, so that the difference in protruding dimension between the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be maintained (the developed shape of the support mechanism functions as a maintenance mechanism).

<Example 2>
Since the vehicle seat of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the basic structure of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the common structures and the detailed description is omitted.
The support mechanism SM2 is a mechanism that changes the seating surface shape of these parts while locally supporting the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 (linearly) (see FIG. 5).
The support mechanism SM2 of the present embodiment includes a first bag member 21, a second bag member 22, and related configurations (hose member, pump member, control member) not shown.
The first bag member 21 is a substantially cylindrical bag body that is long in the sheet width direction. The second bag member 22 is a substantially cylindrical bag body that is long in the seat width direction, and can be expanded more than the first bag member 21.

In the present embodiment, the second bag member 22 having a large expansion rate is disposed on the lower portion 11 side, and the first bag member 21 having a small expansion rate is disposed on the upper portion 12 side. And the back side (seat inward side) of each bag member 21 and 22 is supported by a supporting member (not shown) so that it can be inflated toward the seating side.
Next, each bag member 21, 22 is connected to a pump member via a hose member or the like, so that gas (gas or air) can be supplied to or discharged from each bag member 21, 22. At this time, by controlling the supply and discharge of the gas by the control member, the bag members 21 and 22 can be inflated or contracted independently or synchronously.

For a normal occupant CM, the second bag member 22 can be inflated so that the seating surface of the lower part 11 protrudes larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12 (see FIG. 5B). ). Moreover, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat by contracting the second bag member 22 for the occupant CM on the back of the cat. At this time, by maintaining the first bag member 21 in an inflated state (by causing the upper portion 12 to protrude), the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be gradually inclined backward toward the seat.
Thus, also in the present embodiment, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably deformed by the support mechanism SM2.
Also in the present embodiment, by changing the expansion rate of the first bag member 21 and the second bag member 22, the difference in protrusion size between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained (difference in expansion rate of each bag member). Functions as a maintenance mechanism).

[Modification 2]
Here, the configuration of the support mechanism SM2 (a configuration instructed locally) can take various forms in addition to the form of the second embodiment.
For example, the support mechanism SM2 of Modification 2 includes a third bag member 23, a fourth bag member 24, and a fifth bag member 25 (see FIG. 6B). The third bag member 23 to the fifth bag member 25 are all substantially cylindrical bag bodies (same shape and same size) elongated in the sheet width direction, and have substantially the same expansion rate.
Therefore, in the present modification, the third bag member 23 is disposed on the upper portion 12 side. Further, the fourth bag member 24 and the fifth bag member 25 are arranged in parallel in the seat front-rear direction on the lower portion 11 side.

For the normal passenger CM, the fourth bag member 24 and the fifth bag member 25 are both inflated. By doing so, the seating surface of the lower part 11 can be made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12.
Further, for the stoop occupant CM, the third bag member 23 to the fifth bag member 25 are contracted, or only one of the fourth bag member 24 and the fifth bag member 25 is contracted. 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat. At this time, by maintaining only the third bag member 23 in an inflated state (by causing the upper portion 12 to protrude), the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be gradually inclined rearward as they go downward.
Thus, also in this modification, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably changed by the support mechanism SM2. Also in this modified example, by changing the number of the bag members 20 disposed, the difference in the protruding dimension between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained (the difference in the number of disposed bag members 20 is a maintenance mechanism). Function).

[Modification 3]
Further, in the support mechanism SM2 of Modification 3, the sixth bag member 26 (single member) is disposed only on the lower portion 11 side (see FIG. 6C). The sixth bag member 26 is a substantially cylindrical bag body that is long in the sheet width direction. For the normal occupant CM, the sixth bag member 26 can be inflated so that the seating surface of the lower part 11 protrudes larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12. Further, the lower bag 11 and the upper plate 12 can be made flat by contracting the sixth bag member 26 for the occupant CM on the back of the cat. For this reason, also in this modification, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably changed by the support mechanism SM2.

[Modification 4]
The support mechanism SM2 of Modification 4 includes a seventh bag member 27 (a substantially rectangular bag body in front view), and includes a first inflating portion 41, a second inflating portion 42, and partition portions 44a and 44b ( (See FIG. 7).
The first inflating part 41 is a bag-like part formed on the upper part of the seventh bag member 27. The second inflating part 42 is a bag-like part formed at the lower part of the seventh bag member 27 and has a volume larger than that of the first inflating part 41.
The partition portions 44 a and 44 b are portions that partition the first inflatable portion 41 and the second inflatable portion 42, and are configured by connecting the front surface and the back surface of the seventh bag member 27. The partition portion 44a (44b) of the present modification is a pair of belt-like portions extending from one side (other side) of the seventh bag member 27 toward the center, and the end side thereof is formed into a substantially circular shape (letter character shape) Is). And between the division parts 44a and 44b, the communication hole part H1 which connects the 1st expansion part 41 and the 2nd expansion part 42 is provided.

In this modification, the second inflating part 42 (part having a large capacity) is arranged on the lower part 11 side, and the first inflating part 41 (part having a small capacity) is arranged on the upper part 12 side. And the back side (seat inner side) of the seventh bag member 27 is supported by a support member (not shown) so that it can be inflated toward the seating side.
Then, the hose member HM (not shown) is inserted from the lower part (hole part H2) of the second inflating part 42 through the communication hole part H1, and the opening of the hose member HM is arranged on the first inflating part 41 side.

For the normal occupant CM, the seventh bag member 27 is inflated (the second inflating portion 42 is greatly inflated) (see FIG. 7). By doing so, the seating surface of the lower part 11 can be made to protrude larger than the seating surface of the upper part 12 (see FIG. 2). Further, the lower part 11 and the upper part 12 can be made flat by contracting the seventh bag member 27 for the occupant CM on the back of the cat.
Thus, also in this modification, the seating surface shape of the seat back 6 can be suitably changed by the support mechanism SM2. Also in this modified example, the difference in protrusion size between the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12 can be maintained by providing a difference in the capacities of the expanding portions 41 and 42 in the partition portions 44a and 44b (maintenance mechanism).

<Example 3>
Since the vehicle seat of the third embodiment is substantially the same as the basic structure of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the common structures and the detailed description is omitted.
In this embodiment, in each of the above-described embodiments, the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) can be moved up and down on the basis of the seat back 6 in the standing state (see FIGS. 4 to 7). For example, the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) can be attached to the frame member 6F via a rail member (not shown) to be movable up and down the seat.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) is appropriately moved up and down according to the occupant physical difference or the like, so that the support mechanism SM1 (SM2) can be reliably arranged at appropriate positions of the lower portion 11 and the upper portion 12.

The vehicle seat 2 of the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can take other various embodiments.
(1) In the present embodiment, the configurations of the support mechanisms SM1 and SM2 are exemplified, but the configuration of the mechanisms is not intended to be limited. For example, in this embodiment, a support mechanism (bag member or the like) that is long in the seat width direction is used, but the mechanism only needs to have a size that can face the occupant rib cage. Further, the number and shape of the bag members and the like can be appropriately changed according to the seat configuration. For example, three or more bag members can be juxtaposed above and below the seat. Moreover, the support mechanism of a link mechanism can be separately provided in a 1st site | part and a 2nd site | part. Further, the vertical dimension of the support mechanism may be adjusted as appropriate so that the support mechanism may be arranged so as to be able to face at least a part of the lower part and the upper part (the part in contact with the occupant rib cage) or to be able to face all over both parts. You can also.

(2) In the present embodiment (Example 1), the example in which the inner folding line 20a is provided on the bag member 20 has been described. However, a bellows structure may be provided on the bottom surface side of the back member (accordion shape).
(3) In the present embodiment, an average American male adult is assumed, but the target occupant can be changed as appropriate. And according to the passenger | crew who makes object, the gravity center position of a passenger | crew's upper body can be set suitably. At this time, in order to cover a wide occupant layer, it is desirable to provide an appropriate range in the position of the center of gravity.

2 Vehicle seat 4 Seat cushion 6P Cushion material 6 Seat back 6F Frame member 11 Lower part 12 Upper part 20 Bag member CM Occupant SM1, SM2 Support mechanism 2c Occupant chest 4c Center of gravity of passenger chest

Claims (3)

A seat cushion, a seat back connected to the seat cushion so as to stand upright, and a support mechanism;
In the vehicle seat capable of changing the seating surface shape of the seatback by partially projecting the seating surface of the seatback by the support mechanism,
The seat back has a lower part facing the occupant rib under the position of the center of gravity of the upper occupant on the basis of the standing state, and an upper part facing the occupant rib above the seat than the lower part,
With the support mechanism, the seating surface of the lower part protrudes larger than the seating surface of the upper part, so that the seating surface of the seat back from the lower part to the upper part can be changed to be inclined. Vehicle seat.   The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism includes a maintenance mechanism that maintains a projecting dimension difference between the lower part and the upper part. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the support mechanism is movable up and down with respect to the seat back in a standing state.

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