JP2016172487A - Support device for vehicle seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a support device which can adjust a height for supporting a seated crew member by a combination between expansion and contraction of a plurality of air bags, with which the change speed of the expansion and the contraction of the plurality of the bodies of the air bags arranged in a vertical direction, is mutually changed to continuously adjust the support height.SOLUTION: Bag bodies 11, 12, 21, 22 are connected along the vertical direction of a seat back to form bag body assemblies 10, 20. The bag body assemblies 10, 20 are arranged while being superimposed on each other along the front/back direction of the seat back. In such a superimposed state, a pump 33 or air is selectively communicated with the bag bodies 11, 21, which are arranged inside, of the plurality of bag bodies vertically arranged, via switch valves 31, 32 respectively. Spaces between the respective bag bodies of respective bag body assemblies 10, 20 are communicated with one another via communication paths. The flow rate of air via the communication path is set so as to become smaller compared with the flow rate of air in each of the bag bodies, flowing via the switch valves 31, 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, an airplane, a ship, and a train, and more particularly to a support device such as a lumbar support.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a lumbar support that is actuated by a combination of inflation / deflation of a plurality of air bags, and the height of the top of the support portion relative to a seated occupant can be adjusted. In this case, two pairs of upper and lower connected bag bodies are prepared, two sets of bag bodies are arranged on the back of the seat back in the front-rear direction, and the rear bag body is high, The front bag is low. When the rear bag is inflated, the height of the top with respect to the seated occupant is relatively high, and when the front bag is inflated, the height of the top with respect to the seated occupant is relatively low. ing.

Special table 2009-523513

  However, in this case, the top height is adjusted step by step, and the feeling of operation during adjustment is not good. On the other hand, in the lumbar support using a mechanical mechanism, there is a lumbar support in which the adjustment of the support height is continuously performed, and the same operation feeling is desired also in the lumbar support using a bag body.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to expand a plurality of bag bodies arranged in the vertical direction in a support device that can adjust a support height for a seated occupant by a combination of expansion and contraction of a plurality of air bags. -The support height is adjusted continuously by changing the rate of change of contraction.

  1st invention is provided in a seat back corresponding to a seated occupant, a plurality of bag bodies are connected along the up-and-down direction of a seat back, and a bag body assembly is constituted, and this bag body assembly is the back-and-forth direction of a seat back A plurality of vehicle seats arranged along the front and rear, and the bag assemblies arranged in the front-rear direction are shifted from each other so that the overlapped state becomes a part of the central portion of the overall vertical length of the bag. In the support device of the above, in the state where each bag body assembly is overlapped in the front-rear direction, among the plurality of bag bodies arranged in the vertical direction, respectively through the switching valve to the bag body arranged inside, An air supply source or the atmosphere is selectively communicated, and each bag body in each bag body assembly communicates with each other via a communication path, and the air flow rate through the communication path is determined via the switching valve. Through each flowing bag It is set to be smaller than the amount.

  According to the first invention, when one inflated bag assembly is opened to the atmosphere and contracted, and at the same time, the other contracted bag assembly is expanded, the outer bag in the one bag assembly Before the inner bag body is contracted, the inner bag body in the other bag assembly is inflated faster than the outer bag body. Thereafter, as time elapses, the shrinkage of the outer bag body in one bag body assembly proceeds, and the expansion of the outer bag body in the other bag body assembly proceeds. Therefore, a top part moves sequentially toward the outer bag body in the other bag body assembly from the outer bag body in one bag body assembly. On the other hand, when the other inflated bag assembly is opened to the atmosphere and contracted, and at the same time one of the contracted bag assemblies is expanded, the top part sequentially moves in the opposite direction. Become. Therefore, the support height can be adjusted continuously.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the plurality of bags in each of the bag assemblies are different in size from each other, and the bag disposed on the inside is more than the other bags. Its size has been reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the bag body that is small in size and arranged on the inner side in the vertical direction is quickly expanded and contracted in response to switching of the switching valve, whereas the bag body is large and arranged on the outer side in the vertical direction. Because the bag body has a large volume, it expands and contracts slowly. Therefore, when the expansion / contraction is switched from one to the other of the bag assemblies arranged in the front-rear direction, or from one to the other, the support height can be adjusted more smoothly.

  According to a third invention, in the first or second invention, the bag assembly including a plurality of bag bodies is configured by dividing the internal space of one bag into a plurality of bags.

  According to the third invention, in order to divide the inner space of a single bag into a plurality of parts in order to constitute a bag assembly, the number of parts is reduced compared to the case where a plurality of bags are connected to form a bag assembly. Can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a system configuration figure of a 1st embodiment. It is a front view of the bag assembly in a 1st embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of 1st Embodiment, and shows a mode that height is adjusted from the top to the bottom. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of 1st Embodiment, and shows a mode that height is adjusted from the bottom to the top. It is a perspective view of the bag body assembly of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  1-3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The first embodiment is a lumbar support 5 applied to an automotive front seat (hereinafter simply referred to as a seat) 1. In each figure, each direction in the state which mounted | wore the motor vehicle with the arrow is shown by the arrow. In the following description, the description regarding the direction is made based on this direction.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a seat 1, and the seat 1 is formed by combining a seat cushion 3 forming a seat and a seat back 2 forming a backrest. A headrest 4 that supports the head of the seated occupant from the rear is provided on the top of the seat back 2. The lumbar support 5 is provided between the back frame (not shown) and the back pad (not shown) of the seat back 2 so as to correspond to the waist of the seated occupant.

  FIG. 2 shows a detailed configuration of the lumbar support 5. The lumbar support 5 has two upper and lower bag bodies 11 and 12, 21 and 22 connected to form front and rear bag body assemblies 10 and 20, respectively. These front and rear bag body assemblies 10 and 20 The bag body portion 6 is configured by being overlapped in the front-rear direction. The bag body 6 is supported on a support plate (not shown), and the support plate is fixed to a back frame (not shown) of the seat back 2. As a result, two upper and lower bag bodies 11, 12, 21 and 22 are arranged along the vertical direction of the seat back 2. Here, the front and rear bag assemblies 10, 20 are shifted from each other in the vertical direction so that the overlapping state in the front-rear direction becomes a part of the central portion of the entire vertical portion of the bag body 6. That is, in the state where the front and rear bag assemblies 10, 20 are stacked in the front-rear direction, the bag body 11 disposed on the inner side among the plurality of bag bodies 11, 12, 21, 22 disposed in the vertical direction. , 21 are overlapped in the front-rear direction, and the bag bodies 12, 22 arranged on the outer side are not overlapped in the front-rear direction, but are arranged alone.

  FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration of the front bag assembly 10. The front bag body assembly 10 is formed by stacking two substantially rectangular thermoplastic polyurethane sheets in a face-to-face relationship and fixing the periphery by heat welding, and further heat welding so as to divide the bag. By doing so, two bags 11 and 12 are formed. The heat welding part 13 is formed by the whole heat welding, and the heat welding parts 16 and 17 are formed by the divided heat welding. The heat-welded portions 16 and 17 are not formed continuously, but are separated from each other at two locations, and a communication path 18 is formed in the separated portion. At this time, the heat welding parts 16 and 17 are formed to be biased toward the bag body 11 so that the bag body 12 is larger than the bag body 11. A pipe is connected to the bag body 11 across the heat-welded portion 13, and an air supply / exhaust pipe 14 is formed. Here, the air passage resistance of the communication passage 18 is larger than that of the air supply / exhaust pipe 14, and when air is supplied / exhausted to the bag body 11 through the air supply / exhaust pipe 14, the bag body 12 is passed through the communication passage 18. As compared with the flow rate of the air supply / exhaust pipe 14, the flow rate of the air to be performed is reduced. For example, the ratio of the total airflow resistance in the two communication paths 18 and the airflow resistance in the air supply / exhaust pipe 14 is 2: 1.

  At the center of each of the bags 11 and 12, there is provided a regulation band 15 that couples the opposing surfaces of the thermoplastic polyurethane sheet so as to prevent the two from opening more than a predetermined distance. The regulation band 15 is also made of a thermoplastic polyurethane sheet, and is fixed to the thermoplastic polyurethane sheet forming the bags 11 and 12 by thermal welding. Since the expansion at the central part of the bag bodies 11 and 12 is regulated by the regulation band 15, it is possible to suppress the pressing force from being applied to the spine portion of the seated occupant when the bag bodies 11 and 12 are inflated. I try not to give it. Although the detailed configuration of the front bag assembly 10 has been described with reference to FIG. 3, the rear bag assembly 20 is configured in exactly the same manner.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air supply / exhaust pipes 14 of the bag body 11 and the bag body 21 are connected to the pump 33 via the first switching valve 31 and the second switching valve 32, respectively. The first and second switching valves 31 and 32 are solenoid valves, and are alternately switched between an air supply state in which each air supply / exhaust pipe 14 communicates with the pump 33 and an exhaust state in which the air supply / exhaust pipe 14 communicates with the atmosphere release port. The first and second switching valves 31 and 32 are in an exhaust state when energized and in an air supply state when not energized. The pump 33 generates compressed air when energized and supplies the compressed air to the bag body 11 and the bag body 21 via the first and second switching valves 31 and 32. Check valves 34 and 35 are interposed between the first and second switching valves 31 and 32 and the pump 33, and the check valves 34 and 35 are switched from the pump 33 to the first and second switching valves. Air flow toward the valves 31 and 32 is allowed, and air flow in the opposite direction is prevented.

  4 and 5 illustrate the operating state of the lumbar support 5. FIG. 4 shows a state where the support position by the lumbar support 5 is changed from a high position to a low position as shown in steps 1 to 4. In FIG. 4, Δ marks indicate the top positions of the lumbar support 5 facing the passenger. In step 1 of FIG. 4, the maximum amount of air is supplied to the front bag assembly 10, and the rear bag assembly 20 is stopped after being exhausted to the minimum amount. Therefore, the support position by the lumbar support 5 is the highest position. At this time, in the air piping shown in FIG. 2, the pump 33 is in a non-operating state, and the first and second switching valves 31 and 32 are both in a non-energized state. The air supplied to 10 is held by the check valve 34 so as not to escape. On the other hand, the exhaust state of the rear bag assembly 20 is continued.

  In the state of Step 1 in FIG. 4, when an operation switch (not shown) is operated to lower the support position of the lumbar support 5, the pump 33 is activated and the first switching valve 31 is energized at the same time as the exhaust state. It is said. Therefore, air in the bag body 11 of the front bag body assembly 10 is exhausted, and at the same time, air is supplied into the bag body 21 of the rear bag body assembly 20. At this time, the bag body 11 is exhausted quickly, and the bag body 12 is exhausted more slowly than the bag body 11. This is because the bag body 12 has a larger capacity than the bag body 11 and the air flow rate through the communication path 18 is smaller than the air flow rate through the air supply / exhaust pipe 14. It is. Further, the air supply of the bag body 21 is performed quickly, and the air supply of the bag body 22 is performed more slowly than the bag body 21. This is because the bag body 22 has a large capacity compared to the bag body 21 and the air flow rate through the communication path 18 is smaller than the air flow rate through the air supply / exhaust pipe 14. It is. As a result, after the operation switch is operated, the state shown in Step 2 of FIG. At the time of Step 2, the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the occupant is slightly lower than Step 1 as indicated by Δ.

  When the time further elapses, the exhaust of the bags 11 and 12 and the supply of the bags 21 and 22 further progress, and when the time T2 longer than the time T1 has elapsed, the state shown in Step 3 is obtained. At the time of step 3, the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the passenger is further lowered than step 2 as indicated by Δ.

  When the time further elapses, the air in the bags 11 and 12 is exhausted to the minimum amount, and when the air in the bags 21 and 22 reaches the maximum amount, the state shown in Step 4 is obtained. At the time of step 4, the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the occupant is further lowered than step 3 to the lowest position as indicated by Δ. When the above-described switch operation is stopped at the time of step 4, the operation of the pump 33 is stopped, and at the same time, the first switching valve 31 is de-energized and switched from the exhaust state to the supply state. Therefore, the state of each bag 11, 12, 21, 22 is maintained in the state shown in step 4.

  Step 1 in FIG. 5 is in the same state as step 4 in FIG. 4, and the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the occupant is the lowest position. In this state, when an operation switch (not shown) is operated to raise the support position of the lumbar support 5, the pump 33 is activated and the second switching valve 32 is energized to enter the exhaust state. Therefore, air is supplied into the bag body 11 of the front bag body assembly 10 and at the same time, the air in the bag body 21 of the rear bag assembly assembly 20 is exhausted. At this time, the air supply of the bag body 11 is performed quickly, and the air supply of the bag body 12 is performed more slowly than the bag body 11. The reason is the same as in the case of FIG. Further, the bag body 21 is exhausted quickly, and the bag body 22 is exhausted more slowly than the bag body 21. The reason for this is the same as in the case of FIG. As a result, after the operation switch is operated, the state shown in Step 2 of FIG. At the time of Step 2, the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the occupant is slightly higher than Step 1 as indicated by Δ.

  When the time further elapses, the air supply of the bag bodies 11 and 12 and the exhaust of the bag bodies 21 and 22 proceed further, and when the time T2 longer than the time T1 has elapsed, the state shown in step 3 is obtained. At the time of step 3, the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the passenger is further raised than step 2 as indicated by Δ.

  When the time further elapses, the air in the bag bodies 11 and 12 is supplied to the maximum amount, and the air in the bag bodies 21 and 22 is exhausted to the minimum amount. At the time of Step 4, the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the passenger is further raised than Step 3 and reaches the highest position as indicated by Δ. If the above-described switch operation is stopped at the time of step 4, the operation of the pump 33 is stopped, and at the same time, the second switching valve 32 is de-energized and switched from the exhaust state to the supply state. Therefore, the state of each bag 11, 12, 21, 22 is maintained in the state shown in step 4.

  As shown in steps 1 to 4 of FIGS. 4 and 5, the height of the top position of the lumbar support 5 toward the occupant is lowered or raised while the height of the top position becomes an appropriate position for the seated occupant. At that time, the operation of the pump 33 is stopped, and at the same time, the first switching valve 31 or the second switching valve 32 is deenergized and switched from the exhaust state to the supply state. Therefore, the operation is stopped in the expanded and contracted states of the respective bag bodies 11, 12, 21, and 22 at that time, and the height of the top position at that time is maintained. Therefore, the top position can be adjusted to an arbitrary height. However, the movement of air through the communication path 18 between the bag bodies 11 and 12 and between the bag bodies 21 and 22 is performed even after the operation switch operation is stopped. , 22 continues until the air pressures are equal, so that the height of the top position slightly changes from the proper position.

  According to the first embodiment, in the front bag assembly 10 or the rear bag assembly 20, the inner bag body 11 or 21 is smaller in size than the outer bag body 12 or 22, and air supply and exhaust are quickly performed. In this case, it is expanded or contracted quickly. Thereafter, the expansion or contraction of the outer bag 12 or 22 gradually proceeds with time. Therefore, the top portion sequentially moves from the outer bag body 12 in the front bag body assembly 10 toward the outer bag body 22 in the rear bag body assembly 20. Alternatively, the top portion sequentially moves in the opposite direction. Therefore, the adjustment of the support position by the lumbar support 5 can be performed continuously.

  Moreover, in order to divide the inner space of one bag into two parts in order to construct the front and rear bag assemblies 10 and 20, two bag bodies 11 and 12, 21 and 22 are separately formed. The number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where the front and rear bag assemblies 10 and 20 are configured by connecting the bags.

  FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The feature of the second embodiment over the first embodiment is that orifices 18a and 28a are provided in the communication path 18 between the bag body 11 or 21 and the bag body 12 or 22. The other configurations are the same, and the repetitive description of the same parts is omitted.

  The orifices 18a and 28a are known ones that regulate the air flow rate to a predetermined amount, and are fitted into a passage corresponding to the communication passage 18 in the first embodiment. Therefore, the flow rate of air between the bag body 11 or 21 and the bag body 12 or 22 is determined by the flow rates of the orifices 18a and 28a. The flow rate here is set in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the air flow of the front bag body assembly 10 and the rear bag assembly assembly 20 of each bag body 11, 21, 12, 22 at the time of air supply and exhaustion is set. The operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

  According to the second embodiment, since the air flow rate between the bag body 11 or 21 and the bag body 12 or 22 is determined by the flow rates of the orifices 18a and 28a, as in the case of the first embodiment. Compared with the case where the communication path 18 is determined by the gap between the heat welding parts 16 and 17, the flow rate can be easily set by selecting the orifices 18a and 28a having a predetermined flow rate.

  As mentioned above, although specific embodiment was described, this invention is not limited to those external appearances and structures, A various change, addition, and deletion are possible in the range which does not change the summary of this invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the number of bag assemblies is two in the front-rear direction, but may be three or more. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the number of the bag bodies in a bag body assembly was two, it is good also as three or more. Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the bag body in a bag body assembly was divided into 2 in the up-down direction, you may further divide | segment each divided bag body in the width direction. Of course, each bag may be configured by connecting those formed independently of each other. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the support device is applied to a lumbar support has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a so-called shoulder support in which the support position of a shoulder portion of a seated occupant can be adjusted. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to an automobile seat has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a seat mounted on an airplane, a ship, a train or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car front seat 2 Seat back 3 Seat cushion 4 Headrest 5 Lumber support 6 Bag body part 10 Front bag body assembly (bag body assembly)
20 Rear bag assembly (bag assembly)
11, 21 Inner bag body 12, 22 Outer bag body 13, 16, 17 Heat welding part 14 Supply / exhaust pipe 15 Restriction zone 18 Communication path 18a, 28a Orifice 31 First switching valve 32 Second switching valve 33 Pumps 34, 35 Reverse Stop valve

Claims (3)

Provided in the seat back corresponding to the seated occupant, a plurality of bag bodies are connected along the vertical direction of the seat back to constitute a bag assembly, and a plurality of the bag assemblies are stacked in the front-back direction of the seat back The vehicle seat support device is arranged in such a manner that the upper and lower positions of the bag assemblies arranged in the front-rear direction are shifted from each other so that the overlapping state becomes a part of the central portion of the overall vertical length of the bag body. And
In the state where the respective bag assemblies are overlapped in the front-rear direction, an air supply source or the atmosphere is supplied to each of the plurality of bags arranged in the vertical direction via a switching valve in the bag arranged inside. Selectively communicate,
Each bag body in each bag body assembly communicates with each other through a communication path, and the air flow rate through the communication path is smaller than the flow rate of each bag body flowing through the switching valve. Vehicle seat support device set to. In claim 1,
The plurality of bags in each bag assembly are different in size from each other, and the bag arranged inside is smaller in size than the other bags. Support device. In claim 1 or 2,
A bag assembly including a plurality of bag bodies is a vehicle seat support device configured by dividing an inner space of one bag into a plurality of bags.

Images