JP4230829B2 - Seat cushion pad - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a seat cushion pad used for a vehicle seat or a furniture seat.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As shown in FIG. 7, an automobile seat generally includes a seat back portion 1 that supports the back of the seated person and a seat cushion portion 2 that supports the buttocks. The seat cushion portion 2 is configured by placing a seat cushion pad 100 on a seat frame 3 and covering a surface 4 made of woven or knitted fabric or leather on the surface. The seat cushion pad 100 is generally made of a flexible foam such as a flexible polyurethane foam, and has a central seating portion 101 and side portions 102 having a raised shape with respect to the seating portion 101 on both the left and right sides thereof. It is equipped with.
[0003]
In such a seat cushion pad 100, in order to prevent numbness and fatigue caused by pressure on the thigh when sitting for a long time, or for a driver's seat, an accelerator, a brake, etc. It is effective to make the thigh receiving portion 103, which is the front portion of the seat cushion pad that receives and supports the thigh, softer than other portions so as not to hinder the operation.
[0004]
Therefore, conventionally, the foam constituting the thigh receiving portion 103 of the seating portion 101 has a lower hardness than the foam constituting the buttocks receiving portion 104 that receives the buttocks behind and the side portions 102 on the left and right sides of the seating portion 101. In order to achieve this, a plurality of types of foaming materials having different hardnesses are injected into predetermined positions of the mold, and a low-hardness foam for the thigh receiving part 103 and a high hardness for the buttocks receiving part 104 and the side part 102 are obtained. A measure has been taken in which the foam is integrally formed (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-273744 for related technology).
[0005]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-269241 proposes a measure of softening the thigh receiving portion by providing a plurality of slits on the upper surface of the pad, such as the left and right sides of the thigh receiving portion and the center portion of the seating portion.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-273744
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-269241
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described measures for integrally molding foams having different hardnesses, it is necessary to inject a plurality of types of foaming raw materials, so that there is a problem that additional capital investment is required and manufacturing costs are increased. Moreover, since the hardness changes abruptly at the boundary between the different hardness foams of the thigh receiving part and the buttocks receiving part, there is a concern that the user may feel uncomfortable in the sitting comfort.
[0009]
On the other hand, in the measure of Patent Document 2, since a slit is provided in the seating portion on the upper surface of the pad, there is a concern that the slit on the upper surface may give an uncomfortable feeling to sitting.
[0010]
Further, in any of the above measures, since the thigh receiving portion is softened depending on the hardness and shape of the foam itself, there is a problem that the load-deflection characteristic changes due to the sag of the foam over time. .
[0011]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the seat cushion pad having a good fatigue reduction function by softening the thigh receiving portion at a low cost and while suppressing the uncomfortable feeling of sitting, further It is intended to be able to be realized with the advantage of excellent durability.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The seat cushion pad according to the present invention is a cushion pad including a seat portion and left and right side portions, and a pair of left and right vertical grooves extending in the front-rear direction along a boundary portion between the seat portion and the side portion. A pair of left and right vertical linear portions extending in the front-rear direction from the front end portion of the pad to the rear end portion along the left and right vertical grooves; The first skin locking wire made of a substantially U-shaped metal in plan view, which is composed of a horizontal linear portion extending in the left-right direction connecting the rear ends of the pair of vertical linear portions, The linear portion is embedded in the pad so that the linear portion is intermittently exposed in the vertical groove and the horizontal linear portion is not exposed on the upper surface of the pad, and the linear portion extends in the left-right direction along the horizontal groove. metal Ranaru a second skin locking wire, the exposed state intermittently in the transverse grooves, and without connected to the first wire, thereby embedded within the pad, the horizontal line-shaped portions are embedded From the pad rear end portion to the pad front end portion in which the open end of the vertical line portion is embedded, the hardness of the seating portion is gradually softened.
[0013]
In the seat cushion pad, the first wire embedded in the pad is integrated with the rear end of the left and right vertical line portions connected by the horizontal line portion, while the front end of the vertical line portion is such a connecting portion. Open end without For this reason, the hardness of the seating portion gradually becomes softer from the pad rear end portion in which the horizontal linear portion as the connecting portion is embedded toward the opened pad front end portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the buttocks from falling by providing rigidity at the butt receiving portion on the rear side of the pad, and to reduce fatigue and improve operability by lowering the hardness at the thigh receiving portion on the front side of the pad. Since the hardness gradually changes, it is excellent in sitting comfort without a sense of incongruity as in the prior art. In addition, such a gradual change in hardness is realized with a wire, and unlike a foam of the pad body, the wire has no sag over time, so the change in load-deflection characteristics can be reduced, and durability Also excellent.
[0014]
Also in the present invention, utilizing such for hardness gradual change object, epidermal locking wire used in the conventional general for locking the skin covering the pad surface. That is, in the seat cushion pad of the present invention, a pair of left and right vertical grooves extending in the front-rear direction along the boundary portion between the seating portion and the side portion and a horizontal groove extending in the left- right direction connecting the center portions of the left and right vertical grooves. Is provided on the upper surface of the pad, and the left and right vertical line portions of the first wire are intermittently embedded in the groove along the left and right vertical grooves, respectively, and the horizontal line shape of the first wire is embedded. The portion is embedded so as not to be exposed on the upper surface of the pad , and further, the second wire is intermittently embedded in the lateral groove along the lateral groove. In this case, the left and right vertical line portions of the first wire and the second wire are portions embedded to lock the skin, and the skin is drawn into the groove at the intermittently exposed portions. Lock. And the point which connected the rear ends of the right and left vertical line parts in the horizontal line part of the first wire without connecting the second wire to the first wire is a feature of the present invention. The horizontal line portion is not used for locking the epidermis and is completely embedded in the pad . In this way, two separate wires on the left and right are connected at the rear end to make one wire, so the number of work steps can be reduced and productivity corresponding to line speed-up can be secured. Cost reduction can be achieved.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
The seat cushion pad of the present embodiment is a cushion pad for an automobile seat, and the basic configuration is the same as the seat cushion pad shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the seat cushion pad 10 of the embodiment is made of a synthetic resin foam molded body having elasticity such as a flexible polyurethane foam, and the seating portion 12 in the center in the width direction and the left and right sides thereof. It consists of the side parts 14 and 14 formed in the protruding shape upwards.
[0018]
Specifically, the seat cushion pad 10 includes a pad main body 16 made of the foamed molded body, a reinforcing cloth 18 integrated over substantially the entire lower surface of the pad main body 16, and a slab urethane provided on the upper surface of the pad main body 16. It is comprised by the surface layer part 20 which consists of a pad. Here, the reinforcing cloth 18 is provided to reinforce the lower surface of the pad in contact with the seat frame 3 and prevent the generation of abnormal noise, and is made of a coarse blanket, felt, non-woven fabric, etc. It is foam molded. Further, the surface layer portion 20 is provided by adhering a slab urethane pad, which is a foam having a lower hardness than the pad main body 16, to the upper surface of the pad main body 16 by post-adhesion, and a tactile sensation when touching the seat cushion portion. Contributes to softening.
[0019]
On the upper surface of the pad main body 16, a pair of left and right vertical grooves 22, 22 extending in the front-rear direction along the boundary portion between the seat portion 12 and the side portion 14 is provided. It is provided in a straight line over substantially the entire length from the end portion. Further, the upper surface of the pad body 16 is provided with a lateral groove 24 extending in the left-right direction (width direction) so as to connect the center portions in the front-rear direction of the left and right vertical grooves 22, 22. Grooves 22 and 24 are formed in a substantially H-shape as a whole on the upper surface of. Also, the seating portion 12 is divided into front and rear by the lateral groove 24, the front side of the lateral groove 24 receives and supports the thigh of the seated person, and the rear side of the lateral groove 24 receives and supports the seated person's buttocks. Part 28.
[0020]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a rectangular recess 30 is provided on the lower surface of the pad main body 16 in the thigh receiving portion 26. The recesses 30 are provided approximately symmetrically at the left and right positions so as to correspond to the left and right thighs of the seated person. Moreover, in this recessed part 30, the reinforcement cloth 18 is cut out and it is in the state which the pad main body 16 exposed. Specifically, the reinforcing portion 18 is provided with a rectangular opening 32 at a position corresponding to the bottom of the recess 30, and the foam of the pad main body 16 is exposed through the opening 32.
[0021]
In the pad main body 16, skin locking wires 34 and 36 made of a rigid material such as metal are embedded in order to lock the skin 4 covering the pad surface. When the H-shaped grooves 22 and 24 as shown in FIG. 1 are provided, conventionally, there are three wires in total, one for each of the left and right vertical grooves 22 and 22 and one for the horizontal grooves 24. In this embodiment, as will be described in detail below, by connecting and integrating the rear ends of the left and right wires to form one substantially U-shaped wire 34, A total of two wires, including the wire 36, are embedded.
[0022]
That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a pair of left and right vertical linear portions 34A, 34A extending in the front-rear direction from the front end of the pad to the rear end along the left and right vertical grooves 22, 22, A first wire 34 having a substantially U-shape in plan view and a horizontal wire portion 34 </ b> B extending in the left-right direction connecting the rear ends of the pair of vertical line portions 34 </ b> A, 34 </ b> A and left and right along the horizontal groove 24. Two wires 34 and 36, which are linear second wires 36 extending in the direction, are embedded in the pad main body 16.
[0023]
The vertical linear portion 34A of the first wire 34 is embedded in the vicinity of the bottom of the vertical groove 22, and is embedded in a state where it is intermittently exposed in the groove in the longitudinal direction. More specifically, deep bottom portions 38 having deep bottoms are provided at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the vertical grooves 22, and the upper surfaces of the wires 34 are embedded in the deep bottom portions 38 so as to be exposed in the grooves. As shown in FIG. 4, by connecting the exposed portion 5 with the wire 5 on the side of the epidermis 4 and the fixture 6, the epidermis 4 is drawn and fixed. On the other hand, the horizontal line-shaped portion 34B is embedded so as not to be exposed on the upper surface of the pad in a portion of the pad main body 16 where there is no groove, and as shown in FIG. 3, a thick foam layer is secured above it. ing.
[0024]
The second wire 36 is embedded in the vicinity of the bottom of the lateral groove 24, and in the longitudinal direction, like the vertical line portion 34A of the first wire 34, so that the skin 4 can be pulled in and fixed. It is buried in a state where it is intermittently exposed in the groove.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 5, the first and second wires 34 and 36 are both rounded by folding the end portions 35 and 37.
[0026]
In the seat cushion pad 10 of the present embodiment described above, the vertical wire portion 34A is formed from the rear end portion of the pad in which the horizontal wire portion 34B as the connecting portion is embedded due to the shape of the first wire 34 described above. The hardness of the seating portion 12 gradually becomes softer toward the front end portion of the pad in which the open end is embedded. Therefore, the butt receiving portion 28 on the rear side of the pad can be rigid to prevent the lowering of the buttocks, and the thigh receiving portion 26 on the front side of the pad can be softened to numb the thigh when running for a long time. The feeling of feeling and fatigue can be reduced, and the operability such as accelerator operation can be improved. In addition, since the change in hardness from the pad front end portion to the pad rear end portion gradually changes as described above, it is possible to obtain a good sitting comfort without a sense of incongruity.
[0027]
In particular, in the present embodiment, the recess 30 is provided on the lower surface of the thigh receiving portion 26, and the reinforcing cloth 18 at that portion is eliminated, so that the thigh receiving portion 26 can be softened more effectively.
[0028]
In the present embodiment, such a gradual change in hardness is realized by the shape of the wire 34. Unlike the foam of the pad main body 16, the wire 34 has no sag over time, so load-deflection. Changes in characteristics can be reduced and durability is excellent. In order to confirm this, an actual vehicle running evaluation was performed. That is, an example in which the U-shaped wire 34 of the above embodiment is embedded as an example and a linear wire that does not have the horizontal line portion 34B as a comparative example are mounted on an automobile, respectively. The load-deflection curve before and after running on a rough road 10,000 km (before and after endurance) was measured. The measurement was performed by pressing the hip point of the seating part on the upper surface of the pad with a disk having a diameter of 20 cm at a rate of 50 mm / min. The results are as shown in FIG. 6 (a) for the examples and FIG. 6 (b) for the comparative examples. In the comparative examples, the deflection increases from the low load range to the high load range after the endurance and the feeling of sag. It was a big thing. On the other hand, in the example, the bending became large in the low load region of about 200 N or less as in the comparative example, but in the high load region of 400 N or more, the rigidity (performance) of the wire contributed and the amount of bending increased. It was clearly smaller than the comparative example. From this, it can be said that in the embodiment, the feeling of sag when sitting and the feeling of depression of the buttocks are considerably reduced.
[0029]
In this embodiment, since the pad main body 16 is made of a single foam material, the hardness can be changed depending on the shape of the wire 34 described above. Compared to the conventional case, the cost can be significantly reduced including the equipment cost.
[0030]
Furthermore, the conventional two separate wires on the left and right are replaced by a single wire 34 connected at the rear end, thereby reducing the number of parts and man-hours and ensuring the productivity corresponding to the line speed up. Cost reduction. Recently, the line speed during production of this type of seat cushion pad has been steadily increasing, for example, 9m / min from the conventional speed of 6m / min. Reduction of man-hours is indispensable, and the improvement effect in this respect is great.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
With the seat cushion pad of the present invention, the above-described specially shaped wire is embedded, so that the thigh support part is softened and the fatigue reduction function and operation are low-cost and while suppressing the uncomfortable feeling of sitting comfort. It is possible to exhibit improvement in properties, and it is also excellent in durability.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a seat cushion pad according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the seat cushion pad.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a wire embedded in the seat cushion pad.
FIG. 6 is a graph of a load-deflection curve showing durability data, where (a) shows an example and (b) shows a comparative example, respectively.
FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an automobile seat.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 …… Seat cushion pad 12 …… Seat part 14 …… Side part 22 …… Vertical groove 24 …… Horizontal groove 26 …… Thigh receiving part 28 …… Tail receiving part 34 …… First wire (substantially U-shaped) Wire)
34A …… Vertical linear portion 34B …… Horizontal linear portion 36 …… Second wire

Claims (1)

In a cushion pad comprising a seating portion and side portions on both the left and right sides thereof,
A pair of left and right vertical grooves extending in the front-rear direction along the boundary between the seating part and the side part, and a horizontal groove extending in the left-right direction connecting the central parts of the left and right vertical grooves are provided on the upper surface of the pad.
A pair of left and right vertical lines extending in the front-rear direction from the front end of the pad to the rear end along the left and right vertical grooves, and a horizontal line extending in the left-right direction connecting the rear ends of the pair of vertical lines A first skin locking wire made of a substantially U-shaped metal in plan view , wherein the left and right vertical line portions are intermittently exposed in the vertical groove, and the horizontal line portion Embedded in the pad so that it is not exposed on the upper surface of the pad , and the second skin locking wire made of a straight metal extending in the left-right direction along the lateral groove is intermittently exposed in the lateral groove And embedded in the pad without being connected to the first wire, from the pad rear end portion where the horizontal line portion is embedded to the pad front end portion where the open end of the vertical line portion is embedded The hardness of the seating part gradually A seat cushion pad, characterized in that set to be RaKaku.

Images