JP2014231239A - Armrest for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an armrest for vehicle excellent in operationality.SOLUTION: An armrest 1A for vehicle is provided with an armrest body 3A, and an installation part 2A fixed to a seat back SB and supporting the armrest body 3A, and the armrest body 3A extends nearly horizontally at the side of the seat back SB. Besides, the armrest 1A comprises a locking mechanism for locking the armrest body 3A on a prescribed height, a lock release mechanism for releasing lock by the locking mechanism, and an operation part 4A which is provided at the foreside of the armrest body and conducts lock release of the lock release mechanism. The operation part 4A performs the operation except that moving the armrest body 3A downward in the operation thereto. The armrest body 3A moves vertically in a nearly horizontal state by the lock release.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle armrest.

Conventionally, vehicle seats have been provided with a vehicle armrest that extends horizontally from the side of the seat back so that a seated person can put an elbow.
Further, according to Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, a vehicle armrest is disclosed in which the vehicle armrest can move in the vertical direction according to the height of the elbow of the seated person.

Specifically, a vehicle armrest disclosed in Patent Document 1 below includes an armrest main body that extends forward from a side portion of a seat back, a driven shaft that extends in the vertical direction within the seat back and has a female screw formed in the outer peripheral surface thereof. And an attachment portion (attachment piece) in which the armrest body is fixed to the other end side while being screwed to the driven shaft at one end side and extending in the left-right direction, and a motor for rotating the driven shaft.
And the attachment part screwed by the motor rotating a driven shaft moved up and down, and the armrest main body moved up and down.

Further, the vehicle armrest disclosed in Patent Document 2 below includes a base plate that extends in the vertical direction in the seat back and has a plurality of positioning holes formed in the height direction, and moves vertically along the base plate and moves into the positioning hole. An attachment portion (a flip-up angle adjustment mechanism) having a lock pin to be inserted and an armrest body fixed to the attachment portion are provided.
When the lock pin is released, the mounting portion can be moved in the vertical direction, and the armrest body can be moved in the vertical direction.

JP-A-63-38046 JP 2005-96485 A

  However, regarding the structure in which the armrest main body moves up and down, the above-described conventional technology has a structure in which not only the armrest main body but also the attachment portion that supports the armrest main body moves up and down. For this reason, when an attempt is made to manually operate the vertical movement of the armrest body, the mounting portion also moves, and the operability related to the vertical movement of the armrest body is not good.

  Therefore, the present invention is an invention that has been devised in view of the above-described background, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle armrest with good operability.

  As means for solving the above-mentioned problems, an armrest for a vehicle according to the present invention includes an armrest main body and an attachment portion that is fixed to a seat back and supports the armrest main body. An armrest for a vehicle in which the armrest body extends substantially horizontally, and includes a lock mechanism that locks the armrest body at a predetermined height, a lock release mechanism that unlocks the lock mechanism, and a front side of the armrest body. An operation unit that unlocks the lock release mechanism, and the operation of the operation unit is an operation other than an operation of moving the armrest body downward in the operation of the armrest body, and the lock Is released, the armrest body moves up and down in a substantially horizontal state.

According to the above-described invention, when the seated person operates the operation portion to release the lock by the lock mechanism, only the armrest main body moves up and down, and the attachment portion fixed to the seat back does not move. . Therefore, it is sufficient for the seated person to apply a force corresponding to the weight of the armrest body, and the operability can be improved.
In addition, according to the above-described invention, since the armrest body is unlocked by the mounting portion, the seated person can directly grip the armrest body and adjust the height, thereby improving operability. it can.
Further, according to the above-described invention, since the operation portion is provided on the front side of the armrest body, it is easier to enter the seated person's field of view than the operation portion provided on the rear side of the armrest body, and operability is further improved. Can be improved.
Furthermore, according to the above-described invention, the armrest body can be moved up and down in a substantially horizontal state. Therefore, since the seated person can operate the operation unit with the elbows on the armrest body, the operability can be improved.
According to the above-described invention, since the operation of moving the armrest body downward is excluded in the operation of the operation unit, the seated person does not release the lock by putting his elbow.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said locking mechanism locks the said armrest main body by predetermined | prescribed height by returning the said operation part to a normal position.

  According to the configuration described above, the armrest body is locked at a predetermined height by returning the operation unit to the normal position. Therefore, the operation member for releasing the lock and the operation member for performing the lock can be unified, and the number of parts can be reduced.

  The operation unit is a knob provided at a front end portion of the armrest body, and the lock release mechanism releases the lock by moving the knob to a lock release position which is one of the front and rear directions. Is preferred.

  According to the above configuration, the lock release mechanism releases the lock only when the knob is moved to one of the front and rear directions and moved to the lock release position. In other words, even if the knob is moved to one side in the front-rear direction due to an erroneous operation, the lock release mechanism does not release the lock unless it moves to the lock release position. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the posture of the seated person will collapse due to the unintended lowering of the arm body.

  Further, it is preferable that the armrest body moves in the vertical direction by rotating the knob while the knob is moved to the unlocking position.

  According to the said structure, the height of an armrest main body can be adjusted according to the rotation amount of a knob.

  The mounting portion extends in the front-rear direction, the knob is fixed to the front end portion, and has a first shaft provided with a pinion on the outer peripheral surface, and the armrest body is a rack extending in the vertical direction. And a vertical movement rack portion that meshes with the pinion in a state where the knob is moved to the unlocking position.

  According to the said structure, a vertical movement rack can be moved up and down by rotating the knob of the state moved to the lock release position, and the height of an armrest main body can be adjusted.

  The armrest body is a rack extending in the vertical direction, and has a locking rack that sandwiches the pinion with the vertical movement rack, and the vertical movement rack and the locking rack are arranged shifted in the front-rear direction. It is preferable that

  According to the above configuration, the vertical movement rack and the locking rack are sandwiched by the pinion. Therefore, a downward load is applied to the armrest body, and the direction in which the pinion is rotated when the vertical movement rack is moved downward is opposite to the direction in which the pinion is rotated when the locking rack is moved downward. It becomes the direction to do. Therefore, the armrest main body is locked by the pinion engagement and does not move downward.

  Further, it is preferable that the front portion of the armrest body is formed as the operation portion, and the lock release mechanism releases the lock by moving the front portion of the armrest body in the seat width direction.

  According to the configuration described above, since the front portion of the armrest body forms the operation portion, it is not necessary to provide a separate operation member, and the number of parts can be reduced. Moreover, since the front part of the armrest main body which is an operation part is comparatively large, since a seated person tends to hold | grip an operation part, operativity can be improved.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the armrest for vehicles with sufficient operativity can be provided.

It is the perspective view which looked at the armrest for vehicles concerning a 1st embodiment on the front side from the upper left. It is the side view which looked at the armrest for vehicles from the right side. It is the top view which looked at the armrest for vehicles from the upper part. It is the expanded perspective view which expanded a part of attachment part. It is a disassembled perspective view of a rigid shaft and a shaft part. It is the side view which looked at the ratchet mechanism from the left side. It is the side view which looked at the ratchet mechanism when the 2nd shaft moved back from the left side. It is a perspective view which extracts only a rack body and a 1st shaft from the armrest for vehicles. It is AA arrow sectional drawing of FIG. (A) is the top view which looked at the rack body and the 1st shaft from the upper part, (b) is a top view when the 1st shaft moves ahead. It is the side view which looked at the use condition (turning upward) of the armrest for vehicles from the left side of the armrest for vehicles. It is the side view which looked at the state where the ratchet plate has not latched to the ratchet gear from the left side of the armrest for vehicles. (A) is the side view which looked at the state where the lock was released from the left side, and (b) is the side view which looked at the state after the armrest body rose after the lock is released. It is the top view which looked at the armrest for vehicles concerning a 2nd embodiment from the upper part. It is the top view which looked at the attaching part and the rear part side of the armrest main body from upper direction. It is the rear view which looked at the attaching part and the armrest main body from back. It is the disassembled perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the structure of the attaching part. It is the side view seen from the right side of a block. (A) is the side view which looked at the housing | casing on the right side, (b) is the bottom view seen from the upper box member lower part. (A) is the side view which looked at the housing | casing from the left side, (b) is the front view which looked at the housing | casing from the front. It is the perspective view which looked at the main-body part and the cover member from the rear upper side on the right side. It is the side view which looked at the use condition (rotation to an up-down direction) of the armrest for vehicles from the left side. It is the top view which looked at unlocking operation of the armrest for vehicles from the upper part. It is the side view which looked at the use condition (movement to an up-down direction) of the armrest for vehicles from the left side.

An embodiment of a vehicle armrest according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the description of the embodiment, the vehicle armrests 1A and 1B disposed on the left side of the seat back SB of the driver seat of the right-hand drive vehicle will be described.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle armrest 1 </ b> A extends forward from the left side of the seat back SB on which the seat occupant rests to be substantially horizontal, and the seat occupant puts an elbow on the upper surface thereof. It is.
The vehicle armrest 1A according to the first embodiment includes a mounting portion 2A that is disposed on the left side of the seat back SB and extends in the front-rear direction, an armrest body 3A that covers the mounting portion 2A, and an operation unit that is disposed in front of the armrest body 3A. 4A mainly.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the attachment portion 2 </ b> A passes through the rigid shaft 5 fixed to the left side portion of the seat back SB, the free shaft 6 disposed on the left side of the rigid shaft 5, and the free shaft 6. And a ratchet mechanism 9 provided mainly across the rigid shaft 5 and the free shaft 6.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rigid shaft 5 is a substantially cylindrical member extending in the left-right direction.
The right end portion of the rigid shaft 5 is fixed to a frame (not shown) of the seat back SB, and the left end portion of the rigid shaft 5 projects leftward from the left side surface of the seat back SB.
On the left side surface of the rigid shaft 5, a round hole 5a drilled toward the right side is formed. A ratchet gear 12 constituting the ratchet mechanism 9 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rigid shaft 5.

The free shaft 6 is a substantially cylindrical member extending in the left-right direction.
The right end portion of the free shaft 6 is inserted into a round hole 5a of the rigid shaft 5, and the free shaft 6 is supported by the rigid shaft 5 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction.
Further, a through hole 6 a penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the left end portion of the free shaft 6.
Further, a rear extension 6b extending rearward from the outer peripheral surface of the central portion of the free shaft 6 is provided. In addition, this back extension part 6b is a site | part for supporting the link arms 13 and 13 which the ratchet mechanism 9 mentions later (refer FIG. 6).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft portion 7 extends in the front-rear direction, and is inserted into a substantially cylindrical first shaft 10 to which two pinions 8 and 8 are externally fitted and fixed, and the inside of the first shaft 10. A second shaft 11. The first shaft 10 and the second shaft 11 are metal members having high rigidity.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first shaft 10 passes through the through hole 6 a of the free shaft 6. Therefore, the first shaft 10 is supported by the free shaft 6 so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the front-rear direction, and is supported by the free shaft 6 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.
Regarding the assembly of the first shaft 10, first, the first shaft 10 is passed through the through hole 6 a of the free shaft 6. Then, the pinions 8 and 8 are inserted from both ends of the first shaft 10 and are fitted and fixed, so that the pinions 8 and 8 are separated from the front and rear of the free shaft 6 and fixed to the first shaft 10.

The second shaft 11 is a solid shaft extending in the front-rear direction. The second shaft 11 is inserted into the first shaft 10 and supported by the first shaft 10 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.
In addition, projecting pieces 11 a and 11 a projecting in the vertical direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rear end portion of the second shaft 11. This protrusion piece 11a is a site | part for connecting with the connection member 16 mentioned later of the ratchet mechanism 9 (refer FIG. 4).
Furthermore, when the free shaft portion 6 rotates around the rigid shaft 5, the first shaft 10 and the second shaft 11 also rotate while synchronizing with the free shaft portion 6.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ratchet mechanism 9 is rotatably connected to the ratchet gears 12 and 12 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rigid shaft 5 and the rear upper part and the rear lower part of the rear extension part 6 b of the free shaft 6. A pair of link arms 13, 13, a pair of ratchet plates 15, 15 fixed to the tip of the link arms 13, 13 and meshable with the ratchet gear 12, projecting pieces 11 a, 11 a and the link arm 13, And connecting members 16 and 16 for connecting 13 to each other.

  The ratchet gear 12 has a plurality of teeth arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the rigid shaft 5 and is integrated with the rigid shaft 5. The teeth of the ratchet gear 12 will be described later.

The link arm 13 is a rod-shaped member, and the base side of the link arm 13 is rotatably connected to the rear extension 6b of the free shaft 6.
Further, when the free shaft 6 rotates with respect to the rigid shaft 5, the link arm 13 also rotates about the rigid shaft 5.

The ratchet plates 15 and 15 are fixed to the tips of the link arms 13 and 13, and the ratchet gear 12 is interposed between the ratchet plates 15 and 15.
Further, both ends of the tension coil spring 17 are locked to the check plate 15, 15, and the ratchet plate 15, 15 is pulled by the tension coil spring 17 so that the ratchet plates 15, 15 are close to each other. It comes to contact with.

A tooth surface that meshes with the ratchet gear 12 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the ratchet plate 15 that contacts the ratchet gear 12.
Here, the relationship between the tooth surface of the ratchet plate 15 and the tooth surface of the ratchet gear 12 is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the ratchet plate 15 is rotated clockwise with respect to the ratchet gear 12 as viewed from the left side of the ratchet mechanism 9, the teeth of the ratchet plate 15 slide along the tooth profile of the ratchet gear 12. However, the tooth of the ratchet gear 12 is exceeded, and the clockwise rotation by the ratchet plate 15 is not restricted.

  On the other hand, when the ratchet plate 15 is rotated counterclockwise with respect to the ratchet gear 12 when viewed from the left side of the ratchet mechanism 9, the teeth of the ratchet plate 15 are engaged with the teeth of the ratchet gear 12, and the ratchet gear 12 is moved. The counterclockwise rotation by the check plate 15 is restricted.

The connecting member 16 is a member that connects the protruding piece 11 a of the second shaft 11 and the center portion of the link arm 13.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the second shaft 11 moves rearward, the connecting member 16 presses the link arm 13 so that the link arm 13 rotates around the base side of the link arm 13. It has become.
In addition, when the link arm 13 rotates centering on the base side of the link arm 13, the ratchet plate 15 fixed to the front end part of the link arm part 13 is also opened, and the meshing with the ratchet gear 12 is released. .

Next, the armrest body 3A will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the armrest body 3 </ b> A includes a rack body 20 that meshes with the two pinions 8 of the first shaft 10, and an armrest housing 21 that is provided with an accommodation space therein. .

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rack body 20 is divided into upper and lower parts of the first shaft 10 of the shaft part 7 and extends in the front-rear direction, and is arranged at both ends of the extension part 22 and has teeth in the vertical direction. Rack portions 23 and 23 having surfaces are provided.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the rack portion 23 includes a vertical movement rack 24 and a locking rack 25 in which a plurality of teeth are arranged in the vertical direction.
As shown in FIG. 9, the tooth surface of the vertical movement rack 24 faces the left side, and the tooth surface of the lock rack 25 faces the right side, and faces the opposite directions.
Further, the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 are separated in the left-right direction, and the pinion 8 can be disposed between the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25.
The vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 are engaged with each other with the pinion 8 of the first shaft 10 sandwiched from the left and right directions, and the rack body 20 is supported by the first shaft 10.
In the first embodiment, the rack portion 23 having the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 and the pinion 8 that meshes with the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 are described in the claims. This corresponds to a “lock mechanism”.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the locking rack 25 is disposed on the rear side with respect to the vertical movement rack 24, and the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 are displaced in the front-rear direction.
Therefore, when the first shaft 10 moves forward, as shown in FIG. 10A, the pinion 8 meshes only with the vertical movement rack 24, and the lock by the rack portion 23 and the pinion 8 is released. Thus, the rack body 20 is movable in the vertical direction.
In the first embodiment, the first shaft 10 integrated with the pinion 8 has a configuration corresponding to a “lock release mechanism” recited in the claims.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the armrest housing 21 is a housing extending in the front-rear direction.
As shown in FIG. 3, a rigid hole 21 a through which the rigid shaft 5 passes is formed on the right side of the armrest housing 21, and the ratchet gear 12 fixed to the rigid shaft 5, the free shaft 6, A mounting portion 2 </ b> A composed of the rack body 20 and the like is accommodated in the internal space of the armrest housing 21.
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface 20 a and the lower surface 20 b of the rack body 20 are fixed to the inner surface of the armrest housing 21 with an adhesive, and the armrest housing 21 is supported by the rack body 20.
A shaft hole 21 b through which the shaft portion 7 passes is formed in the front portion of the armrest housing 21, and the tip of the shaft portion 7 projects forward from the armrest housing 21.

The operation unit 4A includes a push button 30 and a knob 31 fixed to the tip of the first shaft 10.
The push button 30 is a substantially columnar member when viewed from the front, and is fixed to the tip of the second shaft 11. When the push button 30 is pressed rearward, the second shaft 11 moves rearward so that the ratchet plates 15 and 15 are not engaged with the ratchet gear 12 (see FIG. 7). .

As shown in FIG. 10A, the knob 31 is a cylindrical member that includes the push button 30, and is fixed to the tip of the first shaft 10.
As shown in FIG. 10B, when the knob 31 is moved forward and the first shaft 10 is moved forward, the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 are engaged with each other. The pinion 8 meshes with only the vertical movement rack 24.
In the following, the case where the pinion 8 meshes only with the vertical movement rack 24 at the position when the knob 31 is moved forward is referred to as a lock release position.
10B, the knob 31 covers the outer peripheral side of the push button 30 when the knob 31 is in the unlocked position. Therefore, the seated person cannot operate the push button 30 while holding the knob 31.

Further, when the knob 31 is in the unlocked position, when the knob 31 is rotated around the first shaft 10 axis, the vertical movement rack 24 moves in the vertical direction, and the armrest body 3A moves up and down. ing.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when the knob 31 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the front (in the direction of arrow B1 in FIG. 9), the armrest body 3A moves upward while maintaining the level. (In the direction of arrow B2 in FIG. 9).
On the other hand, when the knob 31 is rotated counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 9), the armrest body 3A moves downward while maintaining the level (indicated by the arrow C2 in FIG. 9). direction).

Below, the usage method of 1 A of vehicle armrests which concern on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.
In the normal state of the vehicle armrest 1A, the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 of the rack body 20 are engaged with the pinion 8 and the armrest body 3A is locked.

When the seated person puts his / her elbow at normal time, a load acts on the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 of the armrest body 3A. Therefore, each of the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 tries to move downward by rotating the pinion 8.
Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the vertical movement rack 24 rotates the pinion 8 (the direction of the arrow C1 in FIG. 9), and the locking rack 25 rotates the pinion 8 (the figure). 9) (the direction of the arrow B1), and the direction in which the pinion 8 is rotated is the opposite direction.
Therefore, since the pinion 8 does not rotate, each of the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25 does not move downward.
Therefore, the height of the armrest body 3A does not change (the lock is not released) even if the seated person puts his elbow on and applies a downward load.

Next, upward rotation and downward rotation of the armrest body 3A will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the armrest main body 3A is horizontal, the seated person holds the front side of the armrest main body 3A and operates to apply force so as to jump up.
According to this, a force for lifting the first shaft 10 upward is transmitted through the pinion 8 sandwiched between the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25.
Then, the free shaft 6 that supports the first shaft 10 rotates with respect to the rigid shaft 5.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the armrest body 3 </ b> A turns upward.

Here, although the ratchet plates 15 and 15 connected to the rear extension 6b of the free shaft 6 are also rotated by the rotation of the free shaft 6, the rotation direction of the ratchet plates 15 and 15 (the direction of the arrow D1 in FIG. 11). ) Is in a direction not locked to the ratchet gear 12, so that the rotation of the armrest body 3A is not restricted.
On the other hand, when the armrest body 3 </ b> A is to be rotated downward, the rotation direction of the ratchet plates 15, 15 (the direction of the arrow D <b> 2 in FIG. 11) is a direction for locking to the ratchet gear 12. For this reason, the rotation of the armrest body 3A is restricted.

Therefore, when the seated person tries to rotate the armrest body 3A downward, the seated person performs an action of pressing the push button 30 backward, and moves the second shaft 11 backward.
According to this, as shown in FIG. 12, the ratchet plates 15, 15 move in the opening direction so as not to mesh with the ratchet gear 12, and the restriction on the rotation of the armrest body 3 is released.
The seat occupant operates the armrest main body 3A so as to apply a force downward to the front side of the armrest main body 3A, so that the armrest main body 3A can be rotated downward to be in a horizontal state.
Next, when the action of pressing the push button 30 backward is stopped, the ratchet plates 15 and 15 move in the closing direction due to the contraction of the tension coil spring 17 and are engaged with the ratchet gear 12 and locked.

Next, the vertical movement of the armrest body 3A will be described.
As shown in FIG. 13A, the seated person holds the knob 31 and moves it forward to place the knob 31 in the unlocked position.
As a result, the pinion 8 of the first shaft 10 connected to the knob 31 moves forward, and the engagement with the locking rack 25 is released.
Next, the seated person rotates the knob 31 in a state where the knob 31 is disposed at the unlock position.
Here, when the knob 31 is rotated clockwise (in the direction of arrow B1 in FIG. 9) in a front view, the vertical movement rack 24 moves upward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13B, the armrest body 3A moves upward while maintaining the horizontal state, and the armrest body 3A becomes higher.

On the other hand, when the knob 31 is rotated counterclockwise in the front view (in the direction of the arrow C1 in FIG. 9), the vertical movement rack 24 moves downward and the armrest body 3A moves upward while maintaining a horizontal state. It can move and can raise armrest main part 3A.
Then, after adjusting the height of the armrest body 3A in accordance with the amount of rotation of the knob 31, the knob 31 is pressed backward. As a result, the pinion 8 of the first shaft 10 moves rearward and is engaged with both the vertical movement rack 24 and the locking rack 25, and the height of the armrest body 3A is locked (fixed).

  As described above, according to the vehicle armrest 1A according to the first embodiment, when the seated person operates the operation portion 4A, only the armrest main body 3A moves up and down, and the attachment portion 2A fixed to the seat back SB does not move. It is like that. Therefore, the seated person does not need to move the mounting portion 2A in the vertical direction, and the operability can be improved.

  Further, according to the vehicle armrest 1A according to the first embodiment, the seated person can directly grip the armrest body 3A and adjust the height, so that the operability can be improved.

In addition, according to the vehicle armrest 1A according to the first embodiment, since the operation portion 4A is provided on the front side of the armrest body 3A, the seat is more seated than the operation portion provided on the rear side of the armrest body 3A. Therefore, the operability can be further improved.
Furthermore, the armrest body 3A can move up and down in a substantially horizontal state. Therefore, since the seated person can operate the operation unit 4A while putting his elbow on the armrest body 3A, the operability can be improved.

  Further, according to the vehicle armrest 1A according to the first embodiment, the armrest body 3A is locked at a predetermined height by returning the knob 31 to the normal position (moving backward). Therefore, the operation member for releasing the lock and the operation member for performing the lock are the same, and the number of parts is reduced.

  The vehicle armrest 1A according to the first embodiment has been described above. Next, a vehicle armrest 1B according to a second embodiment will be described.

(Second Embodiment)

As shown in FIG. 14, the vehicle armrest 1B according to the second embodiment includes an attachment portion 2B fixed to the left side portion of the seat back SB, and an armrest body extending in the front-rear direction and supported on the attachment portion 2B on the rear side. 3B.
In the second embodiment, the front end portion of the armrest main body 3B constitutes the operation portion 4B for releasing the lock (fixation) of the height of the armrest main body 3B.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the attachment portion 2B protrudes toward the left side from the left side portion of the seat back SB, and is for attaching the armrest body 3B to the seat back SB. And a block 71 arranged on the left side of the base 70.

As shown in FIG. 17, the base 70 is fixed to a frame (not shown) in the seat back SB. The base 70 is a surface 72 exposed from the left side surface of the seat back SB, a substantially cylindrical shaft portion 73 provided at a substantially central portion of the surface 72, and a substantially arranged to sandwich the shaft portion 73. Two cylindrical projections 74 and 74 are provided.
The shaft portion 73 extends to the left from the surface 72 and is inserted into a circular hole 76 to be described later of the block 71 to support the block 71.

As shown in FIG. 18, a circular hole 76 into which the shaft portion 73 of the base 70 is inserted is formed in the central portion of the right side surface 71 a of the block 71.
The circular hole 76 is formed so that the shaft portion 73 is loosely fitted.
Therefore, the block 71 is supported by the base 70 so as to be rotatable around the shaft portion 73.

Further, two guide grooves 77 are formed on the right side surface of the block 71. The guide grooves 77 are formed in a circular arc shape as the center of the circular hole 76. The guide grooves 77 and 77 are grooves into which the protrusions 74 and 74 are inserted when the shaft portion 73 of the base 70 is inserted into the circular hole 76.
When the block 71 rotates around the shaft portion 73, the protrusion 74 moving in the guide groove 77 comes into contact with the start end and the end of the guide groove 77, and the rotation of the block 71 is restricted. ing.

As shown in FIG. 17, a locked portion 75 in which a plurality of teeth are arranged in the vertical direction is formed on the left side surface of the block 71.
Further, a circular hole 78 is formed on the upper surface of the block 71, and one end of a first urging member 86 to be described later is fixed (see FIG. 16).

Next, the armrest body 3B will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the armrest body 3 </ b> B includes a housing 80 that houses the block 71 of the mounting portion 2 </ b> B, and a body portion 81 that is rotatably supported by the housing 80 and extends forward. , A cover member 95 (see FIG. 21) covering the casing 80 and the main body 81, a first urging member 86 (see FIG. 16), and a second urging member 87.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, the housing 80 is a box-shaped body in which an internal space 82 is formed, and a flat bottom body 83 that forms the bottom wall of the internal space 82, and the internal space 82. A box main body 84 that constitutes a side wall and a top wall and that is open downward is provided.

As shown in FIG. 19B, the internal space 82 formed in the box body 84 penetrates the right wall portion of the box body 84 and has substantially the same shape as the block 71 in plan view ( (See FIG. 15).
The block 71 is accommodated in the housing 80 by fitting the block 71 into the internal space 82 of the box body 84 from above the block 71 and closing the lower portion of the box body 84 with the bottom body 83.
Furthermore, the vertical length of the internal space 82 of the box body 84 is formed to be longer than the vertical length of the block 71 (see FIG. 16), and the housing 80 is movable in the vertical direction to the block 71. It is supported.

As shown in FIG. 19, a hole 84 b is provided on the bottom surface of the top wall portion of the box body 84.
As shown in FIG. 16, the hole 84b is a recess facing the hole 78 of the block 71 in the vertical direction.
The end of the first urging member 86 that is a compression coil spring is fixed to the hole 84 b of the box body 84 and the hole 78 of the block 71, and the casing 80 is urged by the urging force of the first urging member 86. Is pressed upward.

As shown in FIG. 20A, a rectangular hole 84 c that penetrates from the left side surface of the box body 84 toward the internal space 82 is formed.
As shown in FIG. 20B, fixing portions 84d and 84d are formed on the left side surface of the box body 84 so as to be spaced apart in the vertical direction. Each of the fixing portions 84d and 84d is formed with a hole 84e penetrating in the vertical direction.
On the front side surface of the box body 84, two holes 84f that are recessed rearward are formed. The hole 84f does not penetrate to the internal space 82 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 21, the main body 81 is a member that is long in the front-rear direction.
The main body 81 is provided with a connecting portion 90 having a through-hole 90 a penetrating in the vertical direction, and an extending portion 91 extending forward from the connecting portion 90.
As shown in FIG. 15, the main body portion 81 is arranged such that the connecting portion 90 faces the left side surface of the housing 80 and the extending portion 91 faces the front surface of the housing 80.

As shown in FIG. 16, the connecting portion 90 is disposed so as to be interposed between the two fixing portions 84 d and 84 d provided on the left side surface of the housing 80. A shaft member 92 that passes through the fixing portions 84d and 84d of the housing 80 passes through the through hole 90a that extends vertically in the connecting portion 90, and the main body portion 81 is rotatably supported around the shaft member 92. Has been.
As shown in FIG. 15, when the connecting portion 90 moves (rotates) to the left, the extending portion 91 arranged on the front side of the shaft member 92 moves (rotates) to the right.

As shown in FIG. 21, a locking portion 93 that protrudes to the right is provided on the right side surface 90 b of the connecting portion 90. The locking portion 93 corresponds to the hole 84c (see FIG. 20A) of the housing 80, and is formed so as to pass through the hole 84c of the housing 80 and enter the housing 80. (See FIG. 16).
As shown in FIG. 16, the right side surface of the locking portion 93 is formed so that teeth are aligned in the vertical direction, and the locked portion 75 of the block 71 of the mounting portion 2 </ b> B housed in the housing 80. It is supposed to mesh with.
Therefore, the casing 80 supported by the block 71 and movable in the vertical direction is restricted from moving in the vertical direction by the locking portion 93 of the connecting portion 90 being locked to the locked portion 75. Thus, the vertical movement of the casing 80, that is, the height of the armrest body 3B is locked.
In the second embodiment, the block portion having the locked portion 75 and the connecting portion 90 having the locking portion 93 correspond to the “lock mechanism” described in the claims.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the extension portion 91 is a portion that forms a skeleton for the seated person to put an elbow, and a hole 91 d that penetrates the left side surface and the right side surface of the extension portion 91 is provided for weight reduction. Is provided.

Further, two holes 91b drilled forward are formed in the rear side surface 91a of the extending portion 91.
As shown in FIG. 15, the hole 91 b is provided so as to face the hole 84 f on the front surface of the housing 80. Then, both ends of the second urging member 87 of the compression coil spring are fixed to the hole 91 b of the extending portion 91 and the hole 84 f of the housing 80.
The second urging member 87 is fixed to the extending portion 91 and the housing 80 in a compressed state, and urges the housing 80 and the extending portion 91 to be separated from each other.
Therefore, the second urging member 87 always moves (rotates) the extending portion 91 to the left about the shaft member 92, in other words, the connecting portion 90 moves (rotates) to the right, The locking portion 93 is locked to the locked portion 75.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the cover member 95 includes a box-shaped first covering member 95 a having an opening on the right side surface and a sheet-like second covering member 95 b and covers the main body 81 and the housing 80. It is a member for. The first covering member 95 a is fixed to the left side surface of the main body 81 by inserting the main body 81 and the housing 80 from the opening. The second covering member 95 b is fixed to the right side surface of the extending portion 91 and covers the right side surface of the extending portion 91.

Next, a method of using the vehicle armrest 1B according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 15, in a normal state, the second urging member 87 causes the locking portion 93 of the armrest body 3B to always lock to the locked portion 75 of the mounting portion 2B, and the armrest body 3B moves downward. It is locked not to.
Therefore, even if a seated person puts his elbow on the armrest body 3B and a downward load acts on the armrest body 3B, the height of the armrest body 3B does not change (the lock is not released).

Next, a case where the armrest body 3B in the horizontal state is rotated upward will be described.
As shown in FIG. 22, the seated person holds the operation unit 4B (the front end portion of the armrest body 3B) and operates to apply a force so as to jump up. According to this, the force which is going to jump up is transmitted to the to-be-latched part 75 of the block 71 via the latching part 93 of the armrest main body 3B. Then, the block 71 rotates around the shaft portion 73, and the armrest body 3B rotates upward.
On the other hand, when the armrest body 3B is rotated downward, the seated person grips the operation part 4B (front end part of the armrest body 3B) and operates to apply a force downward. According to this, a force to rotate downward is transmitted to the locked portion 75 of the block 71 via the locking portion 93 of the armrest body 3B. Then, as the block 71 rotates around the shaft portion 73, the armrest body 3B rotates downward.

Next, the vertical movement of the armrest body 3B will be described.
The seated person grips the operation part 4B (front end part of the armrest body 3B) and pulls it to the right side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 23, the armrest body 3B rotates around the shaft member 92, and the locking portion 93 moves to the left. Therefore, the locking portion 93 is not locked to the locked portion 75, and the armrest body 3B is unlocked.
In the second embodiment, a shaft member 92 that rotatably connects the casing 80 and the main body 81, and an extending portion 91 that is integrated with the connecting portion 90 and rotates the connecting portion 90 to the left side. The configuration corresponds to the “lock release mechanism” recited in the claims.

Next, the seated person operates to apply a downward load to the armrest body 3B in a state where the lock of the armrest body 3B is released.
Here, a force that moves the armrest body 3B by the first biasing member 86 upward is applied to the armrest body 3B held by the seated person. Therefore, the seated person needs to apply a load so that the armrest body 3 </ b> B moves downward against the urging force of the first urging member 86.
24, the seated person's force is transmitted to the housing 80 via the armrest body 3B, and the housing 80 moves downward while being guided by the block 71.
Thereby, only armrest main part 3B moves below, and the height of armrest main part 3B can be set low.

  On the other hand, when raising the armrest body 3B, the seated person moves the armrest body 3B upward by the urging force of the first urging member 86 (see FIG. 16) in a state where the lock of the armrest body 3B is released. . Thereby, armrest main part 3B comes to move up and down, maintaining horizontal.

  Next, the seated person moves the armrest body 3B to a desired height, and then releases the gripping operation unit 4B. According to this, the urging force of the second urging member 87 moves (rotates) the distal end portion of the armrest body 3B to the left side, and the locking portion 93 of the armrest body 3B becomes the locked portion of the mounting portion 2B. Lock to 75. Therefore, the vertical movement of the armrest body 3B is locked.

  As described above, according to the vehicle armrest 1B according to the second embodiment, the lock by the lock mechanism is released when the seated person operates the operation unit 4B, and only the armrest body 3B moves up and down. The operability related to the height adjustment of the main body 3B can be improved.

  In addition, according to the vehicle armrest 1A according to the second embodiment, the seated person can directly grip the armrest body 3B and adjust the height, so that the operability can be improved.

  Further, according to the vehicle armrest 1B according to the second embodiment, since the operation portion 4B for releasing the lock is the front portion of the armrest main body 3B, a seated person is provided rather than the operation portion provided on the rear side of the armrest main body 3B. Therefore, the operability can be further improved.

  Moreover, according to the armrest 1B for vehicles which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, since the front part of the armrest main body 3B comprises the operation part 4B, it is not necessary to provide an operation member separately, and can aim at reduction of a number of parts. it can. Moreover, since the front part of the armrest main body 3B which is the operation part 4B is comparatively large, the seated person can easily hold the operation part 4B, and the operability can be improved.

  As described above, the vehicle armrests 1A and 1B according to the embodiment have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the example described in the embodiment may be appropriately modified.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B Vehicle armrest 2A, 2B Mounting part 3A, 3B Armrest main body 4A, 4B Operation part 5 Rigid shaft 6 Free shaft 7 Shaft part 8 Pinion 9 Ratchet mechanism 10 1st shaft 11 2nd shaft 12 Ratchet gear 15 Ratchet plate 20 Rack body 21 Armrest housing 23 Rack portion 24 Vertically moving rack 25 Locking rack 30 Push button 31 Knob 70 Base 71 Block 73 Shaft portion 80 Housing 86 First biasing member 87 Second biasing member 92 Shaft member 93 Locking 95 Cover member SB Seat back

Claims (7)

The armrest body,
A mounting portion fixed to the seat back and supporting the armrest body;
An armrest for a vehicle in which the armrest body extends substantially horizontally at a side portion of the seat bag,
A lock mechanism for locking the armrest body at a predetermined height;
An unlocking mechanism for releasing the lock by the locking mechanism;
An operation unit provided on the front side of the armrest body, for unlocking the unlocking mechanism;
With
The operation of the operation unit is an operation other than an operation of moving the armrest body downward in the operation of the armrest body,
When the lock is released, the armrest body moves up and down in a substantially horizontal state.   The vehicle armrest according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism locks the armrest body at a predetermined height by returning the operation portion to a normal position. The operation portion is a knob provided at a front end portion of the armrest body,
The vehicle armrest according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lock release mechanism releases the lock by moving the knob to a lock release position that is one of the front and rear directions.   4. The vehicle armrest according to claim 3, wherein the armrest body moves in a vertical direction by rotating the knob in a state where the knob is moved to the unlocking position. 5. The mounting portion has a first shaft that extends in the front-rear direction, the knob is fixed to a front end portion, and a pinion is provided on an outer peripheral surface;
The said armrest main body is a rack extended in an up-down direction, and has the up-and-down moving rack part which meshes | engages with the said pinion in the state which moved the said knob to the lock release position. Vehicle armrest. The armrest body is a rack extending in the vertical direction, and has a lock rack that sandwiches the pinion with the vertical movement rack,
The vehicle armrest according to claim 5, wherein the vertical movement rack and the locking rack are arranged so as to be shifted in the front-rear direction. The operation portion is formed by a front portion of the armrest body,
The vehicle armrest according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the unlocking mechanism releases the lock by moving a front portion of the armrest body in a seat width direction.

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