JP2019162952A - Vehicle seat - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat which can appropriately restrain an occupant at collision of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat 10 comprises: a sensor 42 for predicting collision and the collision direction of a vehicle; a seat 20 having an ottoman 24 of which angle with respect to a seat cushion 26 is adjusted in response to the prediction of collision by the sensor 42 and a seat back 28 of which angle with respect to the seat cushion 26 is adjusted in response to the prediction, in such a manner that an occupant P seated in the seat assumes a zero gravity attitude; and a direction changeover mechanism (a rotating shaft 40) for changing over the direction of the seat 20 so that the occupant P is positioned at the opposite side of the collision direction that the sensor 42 has predicted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-260260 discloses a technique for operating a seat belt pretensioner and restraining an occupant's pelvis part early with a lap belt at the time of a vehicle collision. According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the passenger moves inertially forward in the event of a vehicle collision, the pelvis of the occupant can be restrained and the submarine phenomenon can be prevented by such a configuration.

JP-A-2015-168423

  In recent years, with the advancement of automatic driving technology, it is assumed that passengers are released from driving and take an easy posture in which the seat back is greatly tilted backward. If the occupant takes such a posture, there is a possibility that the submarine phenomenon will occur at the time of a vehicle collision, and there is room for improvement.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle seat that can reduce the load applied to an occupant by appropriately restraining the occupant at the time of a vehicle collision in consideration of the above facts.

  The vehicle seat according to claim 1 is a sensor for predicting a collision and a collision direction of the vehicle, and an angle with respect to the seat cushion so that a seated occupant takes a zero gravity posture in accordance with the prediction of the collision by the sensor. A seat having a seatback whose angle is adjusted with respect to the seat cushion, and a direction of the seat so that the occupant is disposed on the opposite side of the collision direction predicted by the sensor. And a direction changing mechanism.

  According to the vehicle seat of the first aspect, when the sensor predicts a vehicle collision, the angles of the ottoman, the seat cushion, and the seat back are adjusted so that the occupant takes a zero gravity posture. Further, the direction of the seat is changed by the direction changing mechanism so that the occupant is disposed on the opposite side of the collision direction predicted by the sensor on the seat. Here, the “zero gravity posture” is a posture in which the load on the human skeleton is distributed and reduced, and the angle formed by the lower leg and thigh of the occupant seated on the seat is 133 ° (± 8 °). Thus, the angle between the thigh and the torso is 128 ° (± 7 °).

  At the time of a vehicle collision prediction, the vehicle seat is in the zero gravity position. At this time, the occupant seated on the vehicle seat takes a zero gravity posture. As described above, when the occupant takes the zero gravity posture, the load applied to the skeleton of the occupant due to the collision load is reduced as compared with the case where the occupant does not take the zero gravity posture. Furthermore, the direction of the seat is changed by the direction changing mechanism so that the occupant is arranged on the opposite side of the collision direction predicted by the sensor. Therefore, the occupant's body that moves inertially in the collision direction when the vehicle collides can be received by the entire seat. Thereby, the load input to the occupant at the time of a vehicle collision is dispersed and reduced.

  Further, in the case of a collision from the front of the vehicle (hereinafter, simply referred to as “front collision”), the occupant is disposed on the side opposite to the collision direction (that is, the rear side) with respect to the vehicle seat. The direction is changed. Therefore, the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon due to inertial movement in the collision direction of the occupant is suppressed. The “submarine phenomenon” here refers to a phenomenon in which the upper body of the occupant sinks into the lower side of an airbag, dashboard, or handle that is inflated and deployed toward the occupant from the front.

  According to a vehicle seat according to another aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle seat according to claim 1, the seat cushion further includes a lift mechanism for adjusting a height of at least a part of the seat cushion. May be. According to such a configuration, the angle of the seat cushion can be changed by adjusting the height of at least a part of the seat cushion. This allows the bottom surface of the seat cushion to be moved in the direction of the collision in the case of a collision from the side of the vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “side collision”) or a collision from the oblique direction of the vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “oblique collision”). Can tilt to the side.

  According to the vehicular seat concerning another mode of the present invention, the vehicular seat according to claim 1 may have a footrest which supports the sole part of the crew member so that angle adjustment is possible. According to such a configuration, the load input to the occupant at the time of the vehicle collision is further distributed to the occupant's sole portion supported by the footrest. Thereby, the load concerning a passenger | crew's leg can further be reduced. In addition, since the footrest supports the occupant's sole, movement due to inertial force of the occupant's foot (portion below the ankle) can be suppressed during a vehicle collision. Thereby, the load concerning an ankle can be reduced.

  According to the vehicular seat concerning another mode of the present invention, the vehicular seat of the 1st aspect may have a headrest which supports the back of the crew member so that angle adjustment is possible. According to such a configuration, the load input to the occupant at the time of a vehicle collision is further distributed to the occupant's rear head supported by the headrest. Thereby, the load concerning a passenger | crew's trunk | drum can further be disperse | distributed. Further, since the headrest supports the occupant's rear head, inertial movement of the head can be suppressed, and the load on the occupant's neck during a vehicle collision can be reduced.

  As described above, the vehicle seat according to claim 1 has an excellent effect of reducing the load applied to the occupant during a vehicle collision.

It is a side view showing typically the vehicular seat concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement process of the vehicle seat which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the lift mechanism of the vehicle seat which concerns on the other aspect. It is an enlarged plan view which shows the gear mechanism of the vehicle seat which concerns on another aspect.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an occupant protection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that an arrow FR appropriately shown in each figure indicates the front of the vehicle, an arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and an arrow RH indicates the right side of the vehicle. Further, in the following description, when using the front / rear, up / down, and left / right directions, the front / rear direction of the vehicle, the up / down direction of the vehicle up / down direction, and the left / right direction in the traveling direction are indicated. In the following description, unless otherwise noted, the illustrated seat is installed so that a seated occupant faces the vehicle traveling direction.

<First Embodiment>
A configuration of the vehicle seat 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1A schematically shows a side view of the occupant P sitting on the vehicle seat 10. Here, in FIG. 1A, the vehicle seat 10 is configured such that the occupant P takes a zero gravity posture. (Hereinafter, the state of the vehicle seat 10 configured so that the occupant P takes the zero gravity posture is also referred to as “zero gravity position” as appropriate.)

  The vehicle seat 10 includes a seat 20 and a rotating shaft 40 (corresponding to a direction changing device) that rotatably supports the seat 20. The seat 20 includes a footrest 22, an ottoman 24, a seat cushion 26, a seat back 28, and a headrest 30. The seat cushion 26 supports the occupant P's thigh, the ottoman 24 supports the occupant P's lower leg, the footrest 22 supports the occupant P's sole, the seat back 28 supports the occupant P's torso, and the headrest 30 supports the occupant P's head. Each is composed.

  The vehicle seat 10 includes a sensor 42 for predicting a collision mounted on the vehicle and a control device 44 electrically connected to the sensor 42. The control device 44 is electrically connected to the rotating shaft 40, the seat cushion 26, the ottoman 24, the footrest 22, the seat back 28, and the headrest 30. In FIG. 1A, the sensor 42 and the control device 44 are simply shown, and are omitted in FIGS. 1B and 1C.

  The ottoman 24 is attached to the front lower side of the seat cushion 26 so as to be adjustable in angle with respect to the seat cushion 26. The footrest 22 is attached to the lower end side of the ottoman 24 (that is, the side opposite to the seat cushion 26) so that the angle of the footrest 22 can be adjusted with respect to the ottoman 24. On the other hand, the seat back 28 is attached to the rear end side of the seat cushion 26 so that the angle with respect to the seat cushion can be adjusted. Further, the headrest 30 is attached to the upper end side of the seat back 28 (that is, the side opposite to the seat cushion 26) so that the angle with respect to the seat back 28 can be adjusted.

  The seat cushion 26 is attached to be rotatable by a rotation shaft 40 extending in the seat width direction (that is, the angle of the seat cushion 26 can be adjusted around the rotation shaft 40). And this rotating shaft 40 is attached to the compartment floor via the fixing tool (not shown).

  When the vehicle seat 10 reaches the zero gravity position, the occupant P is supported by the seat 20, the seat cushion 26, and the ottoman 24 so as to be in the zero gravity posture. Accordingly, the angle of the footrest 22 that supports the sole of the occupant P and the headrest 30 that supports the back of the occupant P are adjusted so that the load on the skeleton of the occupant P is further reduced.

  Specifically, the angle of the ottoman 24 with respect to the seat cushion 26 is adjusted so that the angle θ1 formed by the thigh and the lower leg of the occupant P is 133 ° (± 8 °). Further, the angle of the footrest 22 with respect to the ottoman 24 is adjusted so that the angle θ2 formed by the lower leg and the sole of the occupant P is 111 ° (± 6 °). Further, the angle of the seat back 28 with respect to the seat cushion 26 is adjusted so that an angle θ3 formed by an angle θ3 between the lower leg and the trunk of the occupant P is 128 ° (± 7 °). Then, the angle of the headrest 30 with respect to the seat back 28 is adjusted so that the angle θ4 formed by the body of the occupant P and the head is 128 ° (± 7 °).

(Action and effect)
Next, the operation and effect of the vehicle seat 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the operation process of the vehicle seat 10 when the vehicle collides. Based on this flowchart, the process regarding the operation | movement of the vehicle seat 10 at the time of a vehicle collision and the effect | action and effect by this process are demonstrated.

  When the process is started, in step 100, it is determined by the control device 44 whether or not a collision is predicted by the sensor 42. If this determination is affirmed, the routine proceeds to step 102. On the other hand, if this determination is negative, the process returns to the determination of step 100 again.

  In step 102, the angle of the seat cushion 26, the ottoman 24, the footrest 22, the seat back 28, and the headrest 30 that have received an electrical signal directly or indirectly from the control device 44 is adjusted to constitute the zero gravity position. The Accordingly, the sheet 20 that has received a signal from the control device 44 is in the zero gravity position. That is, the occupant P seated on the vehicle seat 10 takes a zero gravity posture. When the processing of step 102 is completed, the routine proceeds to step 104.

  In step 104, it is determined whether or not the collision predicted by the sensor 42 is a front collision. If it is determined that the collision is a front collision, the routine proceeds to step 106. On the other hand, if this determination is negative, the routine proceeds to step 108.

  In step 106, the vehicle seat 10 takes the front collision corresponding position. Specifically, the sheet 20 that receives the electrical signal from the control device 44 rotates around the rotation axis 40. At this time, the seat cushion 26 of the seat 20 rotates and moves upward, and the seat back 28 rotates and moves downward. Accordingly, the seat 20 is disposed on the collision direction side (that is, the vehicle front side) with respect to the occupant P, and the occupant P is disposed on the side opposite to the collision direction with respect to the seat 20. At this time, the arrangement relationship between the vehicle seat 10 and the occupant P is in the state illustrated in FIG. The arrow F1 indicates the load input direction at the time of the front collision. When the process of step 106 is completed, the process ends.

  In step 108, it is determined whether or not the collision predicted by the sensor 42 is a collision from the rear of the vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “rear collision”). If it is determined that the collision is a rear collision, the process proceeds to step 110. On the other hand, if this determination is negative, the processing is terminated.

  In step 110, the vehicle seat 10 takes the rear collision corresponding position. Specifically, the sheet 20 that receives the electrical signal from the control device 44 rotates around the rotation axis 40. At this time, the seat cushion 26 of the seat 20 rotates and moves downward, and the seat back 28 rotates and moves upward. Accordingly, the seat 20 is disposed on the side opposite to the collision direction with respect to the occupant P, and the occupant P is disposed on the collision direction side (that is, the vehicle rear side) with respect to the seat 20. At this time, the arrangement relationship between the vehicle seat 10 and the occupant P is in the state illustrated in FIG. The arrow F2 indicates the load input direction at the time of rear collision. When the process of step 110 is completed, the process ends.

  The vehicle seat 10 can reduce the load applied to the occupant P during a collision by performing the operation process as described above. Specifically, first, in step 102, the occupant P is in a state of taking a zero gravity posture by the vehicle seat 10. Here, the “zero gravity posture” is a posture in which the load on the human skeleton is reduced, and thus the load on the occupant P due to the collision is reduced. Furthermore, in step 106 or step 110, the occupant P is disposed on the side opposite to the seat 20 with respect to the collision direction. Therefore, the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon due to inertial movement in the collision direction of the occupant is suppressed.

  At this time, since the body of the occupant P is supported by the entire seat 20, the load input to the occupant P due to the collision can be dispersed throughout the body. Further, since the seat 20 changes its direction while maintaining the zero gravity position, the posture of the occupant P can be prevented from collapsing from the zero gravity posture due to a collision. Furthermore, since the seat cushion 26, the ottoman 24, the seat back 28, and the headrest 30 are configured to include a highly cushioning material such as urethane foam, the human body can be used when suppressing the inertial movement of the occupant P in the collision direction. Is reduced.

<Other aspects>
Although the vehicle seat 10 according to the first embodiment has been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, the vehicle seat 10 may have a lift mechanism 50 as shown in FIG. An example of details of the lift mechanism 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

  FIG. 3 shows the vehicle seat 10 provided with the lift mechanism 50. For example, the seat 20 illustrated in FIG. 3 is provided with rack gears 52 at four positions on the lower side of the seat cushion 26 in the front, rear, left, and right. Further, a fan-shaped pinion gear 54 that moves the rack gear 52 up and down is installed in a state of meshing with each rack gear 52. The pinion gear 54 has two corresponding left and right front and rear sides connected by a front or rear shaft 56. A drive mechanism 58 is provided at the center of each of the front shaft 56 and the rear shaft 56.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the drive mechanism 58 in a plan view. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the left and right pinion gears 54 connected to the shaft 56 rotate together. As shown in FIG. 4A, the shaft 56 includes a hollow shaft 56A and a small-diameter shaft 56B inserted into the hollow of the hollow shaft 56A. Further, a spring (not shown) is housed inside the hollow shaft 56A in a compressed state, and the hollow shaft 56A is pressed (biased) toward the small-diameter shaft 56B. Further, a pin (shear pin) 60 penetrates in a radial direction in a portion where the hollow shaft 56A and the small diameter shaft 56B overlap. Thereby, the hollow shaft 56A and the small-diameter shaft 56B are integrally rotated in the same direction.

  A bevel gear 62A is arranged on the hollow shaft 56A, and a bevel gear 62B is arranged on the small-diameter shaft 56B with the teeth facing the pin 60, respectively. A driving bevel gear 63 is provided so as to mesh with a bevel gear 62B disposed on the small-diameter shaft 56B. The driving bevel gear 63 is attached to a driving motor 66 (see FIG. 3) via a driving shaft 64. The drive motor 66 is electrically connected to the control device 44.

  For example, when the sensor 42 detects a front collision or a rear collision of the vehicle, the lift mechanism is controlled by the control device 44 so that the rack gear 52 on the collision direction side is raised and the rack gear 52 on the opposite side to the collision direction is lowered. Is done. Specifically, when the driving motor 66 rotates the driving bevel gear 63, the bevel gear 62B disposed on the small-diameter shaft 56B rotates. Along with this, the small-diameter shaft 56B, the hollow shaft 56A, and the pinion gears 54 provided at the left and right ends rotate together in the same direction. As a result, the rack gears 52 at the left and right ends rise or fall all together.

  FIG. 4B shows a state in which the left and right pinion gears 54 connected to the shaft 56 rotate in opposite directions. As shown in FIG. 4B, the pin 60 penetrating through the hollow shaft 56A and the small diameter shaft 56B is removed. Thus, when the pin 60 is removed, the hollow shaft 56A is moved to the small-diameter shaft 56B side by the built-in spring. As a result, the bevel gear 62A attached to the hollow shaft 56A and the bevel gear 62B attached to the small-diameter shaft 56B are in mesh with the driving bevel gear 63, respectively. In this state, when the driving bevel gear 63 rotates, the hollow shaft 56 </ b> A and the small-diameter shaft 56 </ b> B rotate around the axis of the shaft 56 in opposite directions.

  With such a structure, when the sensor 42 detects a collision from the side of the vehicle, the control is performed so that the rack gear 52 on the side close to the collision direction is raised and the rack gear 52 on the opposite side to the collision direction is lowered. The lift mechanism 50 is controlled by the device 44.

  As described above, for example, by providing such a lift mechanism 50, the vehicle seat 10 can cope with collisions in various directions (for example, oblique collision or side collision).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle seat 20 Seat 24 Ottoman 26 Seat cushion 28 Seat back 40 Rotating shaft 42 Sensor 44 Control device

Claims (1)

A sensor for predicting the collision and direction of the vehicle;
An ottoman whose angle is adjusted with respect to the seat cushion so that a seated occupant takes a zero gravity posture according to the prediction of a collision by the sensor, and a seat having a seat back whose angle is adjusted with respect to the seat cushion; ,
A direction changing mechanism for changing the direction of the seat so that the occupant is disposed on the opposite side of the collision direction predicted by the sensor;
A vehicle seat having: