JP3344906B2 - Foldable leg hinge cover structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cover structure for covering a hinge portion of an automobile seat having a foldable leg provided on a back surface of a seat cushion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a space-up seat suitable as a third seat for a one-box vehicle such as a wagon car or a van type car has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-142725. The space-up seat includes a slide rail on the outer side of the seat cushion for guiding the seat cushion so as to be slidable in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a hinge mechanism for pivotally supporting the inner side of the seat cushion so as to be able to flip up. In addition, a foldable leg is provided on the back surface of the inside of the seat cushion. The leg is provided with a leg arm having an interlock mechanism (latch mechanism) capable of engaging with a striker fixed to the vehicle body floor so as to swing back and forth.

In the case of a sheet having such a folding leg, in order to prevent the hinge portion from being exposed to the outside,
It is common practice to fix a hinge cover covering the hinge portion of the leg to the back surface of the seat cushion. When the leg is folded to the rear side of the seat cushion, a predetermined space is provided between the hinge side end of the leg and the hinge cover so that the hinge cover and the leg do not interfere with each other when the leg is raised with respect to the seat cushion. It is necessary to provide a gap. However, such a gap not only deteriorates the appearance but also may cause a finger or the like to be caught in the gap between the leg and the hinge cover when the leg is rotated upright with respect to the seat cushion.

[0004]

In order to solve such a problem, an elastic body such as a rubber plate is mounted near the hinge portion of the leg so as to close a gap between the leg and the hinge cover. However, since the elastic body itself has no rigidity, if the elastic body is pressed with a finger or the like, the elastic body is easily opened, and a sufficient shielding function cannot be secured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a folding leg hinge cover structure capable of closing a gap between a hinge side end of the leg and the hinge cover and preventing insertion of a finger or the like.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automobile seat having a foldable leg provided on the back surface of a seat cushion, wherein the leg is rotatable on the back surface of the seat cushion. A hinge bracket for pivoting is provided, and the periphery of the hinge bracket is covered with a hinge cover fixed to the back surface of the seat cushion, while the substrate portion of the spacer is fixed to the hinge side end of the leg, and the spacer is A wing plate portion rotatably and urged to rotate in the direction of the neutral position, and a stopper portion for restricting rotation of the wing plate portion inward with respect to the substrate portion by a certain angle or more, and a leg. When folded along the back of the seat cushion, the wing plate of the spacer abuts against the back of the hinge cover to close the gap between the leg and the hinge cover, and the leg is seat cushioned. In a state of being erected rotated with respect to the rear surface of the emissions, the vanes of the spacer abuts on the back surface of the seat cushion, characterized in that it pivots outward with respect to the substrate portion.

In a state where the leg is folded along the back surface of the seat cushion, the wing plate portion of the spacer is urged toward the neutral position with respect to the substrate portion by the rotational urging force, and this wing plate portion is located on the back side of the hinge cover. , So that the gap between the leg and the hinge cover is closed, so that the appearance is not deteriorated. Further, since the inward rotation of the wing plate portion is regulated by the stopper portion, the wing plate portion does not rotate inward even if a pressing force from the outside acts on the wing plate portion, thereby preventing insertion of a finger or the like. On the other hand, when the leg is turned upright with respect to the back surface of the seat cushion, the wing plate portion of the spacer hits the back surface of the seat cushion, and the wing plate portion turns outward with respect to the substrate portion. Therefore, the leg can be smoothly rotated without any resistance to the upright rotation of the leg.

The neutral position in the present invention is an intermediate position between the position where the blade portion turns outward when the leg stands up and the position where the rotation of the blade portion is restricted by the stopper portion to the inside. It is not limited to the position where the blade portion is substantially linear with respect to the substrate portion. However, in a state where the legs are folded, the wing plate portion of the spacer needs to abut on the back side of the hinge cover. Therefore, the position at this time is preferably a position slightly turned inward from the neutral position.

It is desirable to integrally mold the substrate portion and the wing plate portion of the spacer with resin via an integral hinge. In this case, the number of parts is small, and furthermore, it can be easily formed of a general inexpensive resin material (for example, polypropylene). Further, it is desirable to attach a support spring to the spacer to bias the wing plate portion to rotate toward the neutral position with respect to the substrate portion. In this case, since the wing plate portion is biased toward the neutral position by the support spring,
Even if the wing plate portion is kept in the outwardly rotated position for a long period of time, it is unlikely to bend and the function can be prevented from deteriorating.
Furthermore, a wrap cover that comes into contact with the back side of the hinge cover when the leg is folded along the back surface of the seat cushion is slidably attached to the wing plate portion, and the wrap cover is urged to protrude from the wing plate portion by a support spring. You may. In this case, even if the hinge cover and the wrap cover interfere with each other, the wrap cover retreats, so that the blade portion can be smoothly rotated.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The drawings show an example in which a space-up seat S provided with a foldable leg 10 is used as a third seat of a one-box vehicle. FIG. 1 shows a used state and FIG. 2 shows a stored state. Although only the right sheet is shown in FIG. 1, a left sheet symmetric to this is actually provided. 1 and 2 do not show the hinge cover structure of the present invention.

The space-up seat S is provided with a seat cushion 1 and a seat back 2, and has a seat width for 1.5 people. The upright angle of the seat back 2 can be freely adjusted by a well-known reclining mechanism (not shown).
The seat can be tilted backward to a flat position with the seat cushion 1.

A frame 1 is provided inside the seat cushion 1.
a is incorporated, and a pair of hinge brackets 3 are fixed to the front and rear of the outer side of the frame 1a. The bracket 3 is rotatably connected to a slide rail 4 via a hinge mechanism 5. The slide rail 4 includes a lower rail 4a and an upper rail 4b that are slidable with each other, and the hinge mechanism 5 is fixed on the upper rail 4b. Both front and rear ends of the lower rail 4a are horizontally fixed to, for example, the upper surface of the wheel house H via a bracket 6. As described above, since the outer portion of the seat cushion 1 is connected to the slide rail 4 via the hinge mechanism 5, the outer portion of the seat cushion 1 can slide back and forth, and as shown in FIG. Can be flipped up and rotated along the side wall of the vehicle cabin with the outer side of the fulcrum as a fulcrum.

A known slide lock mechanism 7 is provided on the slide rail 4 so that the slide rail 4 can be positioned at two front and rear positions. By operating the lever 7 a of the slide lock mechanism 7, the slide lock on the slide rail 4 side can be released, and at the same time, the lock on the inner leg 10 described later can be released via the cable 8.

An inner leg 10 that can be folded to a position along the back surface of the seat cushion 1 is provided inside the seat cushion 1. The inner leg 10 is formed of a metal plate. The front and rear ends of the inner leg 10 can engage with the front striker T1 and the rear striker T2 fixed to the vehicle body floor F, respectively, as shown in FIG. A hook 11 and an interlock mechanism 12 are provided. And the inner leg 10 is hook 1
1 and the interlock mechanism 12 are strikers T1, T2
, And can be moved back and forth by a fixed stroke. The engagement between the hook 11 and the interlock mechanism 12 and the front and rear strikers T1 and T2 can be released only by operating the operation handle 13.

As shown in FIG. 3, the outer surface of the inner leg 10 has a first leg cover 15 having a front portion made of resin.
The rear portions are respectively covered with second leg covers 16 made of resin. Only the operation handle 13 is exposed on the surface of the second leg cover 16.

The front and rear ends of the upper end of the inner leg 10 are pivotally supported by brackets 20 fixed to the seat cushion frame 1a via hinge bolts 21 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).
Can be folded along the back side of the. On the back of the seat cushion 1, as shown in FIG.
A resin hinge cover 22 surrounding the two surfaces 0 is fixed. As shown in FIG. 5, the hinge cover 22 includes a seat portion 22a fixed to the back surface of the seat cushion 1 by bolts 23, and an L-shaped vertical wall portion 22b. Has a flange portion 22c protruding toward the inner leg 10 side. Note that the shape of the hinge cover 22 is not limited to the shape as shown in FIG. 5, and the vertical wall portion may have a U-shape so as to surround three surfaces of the bracket 20.

A resin spacer 30 is fixed to an end of the inner leg 10 on the hinge bolt 21 side. As shown in FIG. 7, the spacer 30 is formed by integrally forming a board portion 31 and a wing plate portion 32 so as to be rotatable via an integral hinge 33. The position rotated outward by 90 ° or more and the stopper portion 34
It is rotatable between a rotation limit position (see FIG. 8) in which rotation inward is restricted by a and 34b. One stopper portion 34b is provided with a support spring 4 described later.
It also has a function of holding the zero coil unit 41. At the tip of the wing plate portion 32, a flange portion 22c of the hinge cover 22 is provided.
The wrap cover portion 35 that can abut on the inner surface of is extended to a position one step lower. Two shaft portions 36 are protruded from the surface of the substrate portion 31 of the spacer 30, and a clip 37 with a split groove is protruded from a portion corresponding to the shaft portion 36 on the back surface of the substrate portion 31. . Shaft 36 and clip 37
Is used to fix the spacer 30 to the inner leg 10.

Here, the inner leg 1 of the spacer 30
The method of fixing the number to 0 will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the clip 37 is pushed into the fitting hole 39 of the inner leg 10 so as to be fitted to the state shown in FIG. 9B. In this state, the clip 37 is slightly bent inward due to the fitting hole 39. next,
When the shaft portion 36 protruding to the front side is hit with a hammer or the like, the shaft portion 36 is merely connected to the substrate portion 31 by the thin portion 38, so that the thin portion 38 is easily broken, and FIG. The shaft portion 36 is pressed into the clip 37 as shown in FIG. As a result, the clip 37 is slightly pushed open, so that the outer peripheral surface of the clip 37 is pressed against the fitting hole 39 and the spacer 30 can be securely fixed to the inner leg 10.

A support spring 40 is attached to the back surface of the spacer 30 as shown in FIG. The support spring 40 has two coil portions 41, and a central portion 42 is provided with a locking projection 44 on the rear surface of the blade plate 32.
And the support spring 40 is attached by heat caulking the both end portions 43 to the back surface of the substrate portion 31. The support spring 40 is configured such that the wing plate portion 32 is
It is urged in a direction to be substantially straight (neutral position) with respect to 1.

Next, the folding operation of the inner leg 10 will be described. First, in a state where the inner leg 10 is folded toward the back side of the seat cushion 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the wing plate portion 32 of the spacer 30 is rotated to a position slightly inward from the straight line with respect to the substrate portion 31. The wrap cover portion 35 provided at the tip of the wing plate portion 32 abuts against the back surface of the flange portion 22c of the hinge cover 22 by the spring force of the support spring 40, and the inner leg 10 (the second leg cover 16) and the hinge cover 22 Is closing the gap. In this state, even if the wing plate portion 32 of the spacer 30 is pressed by a finger or the like from the outside, the wing plate portion 32 is stopped by the stoppers 34a, 3a.
Since rotation inside is restricted by 4b, insertion of a finger or the like can be reliably prevented.

Next, when the inner leg 10 is raised and rotated from the seat cushion 1 with the hinge bolt 21 as a fulcrum, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It pivots outward with the integral hinge 33 as a fulcrum. Therefore, the inner leg 10 can be erected smoothly.

When the inner leg 10 is folded again to the back side of the seat cushion 1, the wing plate 32 rotates in a straight line with respect to the board 31 by the action of the support spring 40 attached to the back of the spacer 30. When the folding of the inner leg 10 is completed, the lap cover portion 35 at the tip is
2c Stops when hitting the back surface.

Incidentally, the spacer 30 is constantly urged by the support spring 40 in a direction in which the blade portion 32 and the substrate portion 31 are aligned. Therefore, during the folding operation of the inner leg 10, the wing plate portion 32 rotates while keeping a straight line with the substrate portion 31, and the movement locus of the tip of the wrap cover portion 35 is different from the arc locus around the hinge bolt 21. Become. Therefore, the inner leg 10
Even when the distance between the hinge cover 22 and the hinge cover 22 is small, the lap cover portion 35 can rotate without interfering with the hinge cover 22.

FIGS. 11 to 13 show a second embodiment of the spacer according to the present invention. The spacer 50 has a substrate portion 51 and a wing plate portion 52 integrally formed via an integral hinge 53, and a separate lap cover 54 is slidably attached to the back side of the wing plate portion 52. I have. That is, both ends of the support spring 60 are fixed to the back surface of the substrate 51 by heat caulking or the like.
A pair of guide portions 55 are provided on the back surface of the second member 2 so as to project therefrom. The narrow portion 56 of the wrap cover 54 is slidably inserted between the guide portions 55, and the rear surface of the wrap cover 54 is provided with a third portion for locking a central portion of the support spring 60.
Each locking projection 57 is formed. In this case, the support spring 60 not only urges the wing plate portion 52 in a straight line with the substrate portion 51 but also has a function of urging the lap cover 54 to project forward.

When the inner leg 10 is folded, the wrap cover 54 is attached to the hinge cover 2 as shown in FIG.
2 is in contact with the inner surface and is pushed into the blade plate 32 side. As the inner leg 10 is raised, the wrap cover 54 protrudes, and eventually contacts the back surface of the seat cushion 1 and is pivoted outward together with the wing plate portion 32.

In this embodiment, since the wrap cover 54 can slide with respect to the wing plate portion 32, the wrap cover 54
Even if does interfere with the hinge cover 22, the wrap cover 54 retreats and can be smoothly operated without being caught.

The leg according to the present invention is not limited to the inner leg of the space-up sheet having the hook and the interlock mechanism as in the above embodiment. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a folding leg of a normal sheet. In the above embodiment, when the leg is folded along the back surface of the seat cushion, the wing plate portion of the spacer comes into contact with the back side of the hinge cover in a state where the wing plate portion of the spacer is inclined slightly inward from a straight line with respect to the substrate portion. I did,
The wing plate portion may be configured to abut on the back side of the hinge cover in a state where the wing plate portion is largely inclined inward with respect to the substrate portion. In this case, it is necessary to set the rotation limit angle by the stopper to a position further rotated inward than in the embodiment. The spacer of the present invention may be formed by integrally forming the spacer and the wing plate via a hinge shaft, instead of being integrally formed via an integral hinge. Further, the spacer is not limited to the resin, and may be formed of another material such as a metal. Further, the method of fixing the spacer to the leg is not limited to the method shown in FIG. 9, and it goes without saying that the spacer may be fixed with a fastener such as a screw. However, in the case of the embodiment, it is desirable because the number of parts can be reduced and the number of work steps can be reduced. further,
By attaching the support spring to the spacer, the wing plate portion is urged in the neutral direction with respect to the substrate portion. However, when the integral hinge itself has a spring property, the support spring can be omitted. The support spring is not limited to a torsion spring having two coil portions as in the embodiment, but may be a torsion spring having one coil portion, a leaf spring, a rubber plate, or the like.

[0028]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a spacer for rotatably providing a wing plate portion and a substrate portion is fixed to a leg, and the hinge cover and the leg are fixed by the wing plate portion. To improve appearance, and even if pressing force acts on the wing plate from the outside, the wing plate does not fall inward, preventing the insertion of fingers etc. reliably. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a use state of a space-up sheet to which a folding leg according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a storage state of the space-up sheet shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an inner leg of the space-up sheet shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a stored state in which a cover of the space-up sheet shown in FIG. 1 is attached.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the spacer.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of fixing a spacer to an inner leg.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the spacer of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the spacer.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the spacer of FIG. 11 as viewed from the back side.

13 is a sectional view of a hinge portion of an inner leg using the spacer of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S Space Up Seat 1 Seat Cushion 10 Inner Leg (Leg) 20 Hinge Bracket 21 Hinge Bolt 22 Hinge Cover 30 Spacer 31 Board 32 Blade Plate 33 Integral Hinge 34a, 34b Stopper 35 Rap Cover 40 Support Spring

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An automobile seat having a foldable leg provided on a back surface of a seat cushion, wherein a hinge bracket for rotatably supporting the leg is provided on a back surface of the seat cushion, and the periphery of the hinge bracket is seated. While covering with a hinge cover fixed to the back surface of the cushion, the substrate part of the spacer is fixed to the hinge side end of the leg, and the spacer is urged to rotate relative to the substrate part and to the neutral position. Wing plate portion and a stopper portion for restricting rotation of the wing plate portion inward with respect to the substrate portion by a certain angle or more are provided, and the legs are folded along the back surface of the seat cushion, and the wings of the spacer are provided. The plate abuts against the back side of the hinge cover to close the gap between the leg and the hinge cover, and the leg is rotated upright with respect to the back side of the seat cushion. Blade unit abuts on the rear surface of the seat cushion, the hinge cover structure of folding legs, characterized in that pivots outward with respect to the substrate portion. 2. The hinge cover structure for a foldable leg according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion and the wing plate portion of the spacer are integrally formed of resin via an integral hinge. 3. The folding type according to claim 1, wherein a support spring for urging the wing plate portion to rotate toward the neutral position with respect to the substrate portion is attached to the spacer. Leg hinge cover structure. 4. A wrap cover which is slidably attached to the wing plate portion, the lap cover being in contact with the back side of the hinge cover when the leg is folded along the back surface of the seat cushion,
The hinge cover structure for a foldable leg according to claim 3, wherein the lap cover is urged to protrude from the wing plate portion by the support spring.