JP4480162B2 - Vehicle seat headrest structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a headrest structure for a vehicle seat that can elastically support a seated person's head, and in particular, a headrest structure for a vehicle seat that can more effectively protect the seated person's neck from an impact during a rear-end collision. About.

  As a headrest configuration that protects the neck from impacts at the time of rear-end collisions, such as rear-end collisions, with higher support for the head, for example, the headrest is forcibly moved toward the head due to the occurrence of a rear-end collision What is made to be disclosed is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-58532.

  In the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-58532, a pressure receiving member that detects the inertial movement of the seated person's upper body is provided in the seat back so as to be able to move backward about the fulcrum. Under the rearward movement of the pressure receiving member accompanying the inertial movement of the seated person's upper body at the time of a rear collision, the headrest is tilted forward integrally by the corresponding amount.

  According to such a configuration, when an impact occurs during a rear collision, the headrest approaches the seated person's head by tilting forward, thereby narrowing the gap between the head and the rear of the head during the rear collision. The amount of tilt is reliably suppressed. Therefore, according to this known configuration, it is possible to suppress neck damage caused by a sudden backward tilt of the head at the time of a rear collision, so-called whiplash failure.

  Here, since the seat back is usually set to recline in a moderate rearward tilt state, the upper body of the seat occupant moves upward along the seating surface of the seat back during inertial movement due to impact at the time of rear impact. It can happen that it slips up. However, in the configuration disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-58532, the headrest is merely tilted forward about a fulcrum in the seat back, so that the seated person's head is shifted upward together with the upper body. In this case, the possibility that the support of the head by the headrest, that is, the protection of the neck is not sufficient cannot be denied.

  Therefore, as a means for solving such a problem, for example, there is a configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-34707 in which the headrest is movable forward and upward.

  In such a configuration, when a rear collision occurs, the headrest moves not only forward but also upward, so even when the upper body of the seated person is displaced upward, the support performance for the seated person's head, that is, the neck The protection performance against is reliably increased.

  However, the known configuration that allows the headrest to move upward is due to an internal mechanism of the seat back that uses a link mechanism as a main component as disclosed in the above-mentioned JP-A-11-34707. Further, complication of the configuration due to an increase in the number of parts, an increase in cost, and the like are inevitable.

And what is disclosed in this Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-34707 is a structure in which the headrest is lifted inside the seat back by the operation of the link mechanism after receiving the load due to the inertial movement of the seated person's upper body. It cannot be denied that it is inferior in responsiveness to the occurrence of a crash.
JP 2001-58532 A JP-A-11-34707

  The problem to be solved is that the known configuration is likely to be inferior in responsiveness and is likely to be complicated in configuration.

In the headrest structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 1 of the present invention, the substantially case-shaped main body base serving as the formation base of the headrest main body is connected to the stay via a pair of left and right sliders arranged on the side shaft portion. A predetermined urging means is arranged so that the main body base can be urged upward. Then, the lock of the lock means having a combination of a pendulum arm integrally having a weight of a predetermined weight, a lock plate to which the pendulum arm is engaged, and a lock spring that biases the pendulum arm in the lock plate direction is used. The main body base can be held at a predetermined lower initial position against the urging force of the urging means, and the inertia swing of the pendulum arm against the urging force of the lock spring accompanying the input of the impact load at the time of rear impact. By releasing the lock by the movement, the main body base is raised to a predetermined upward projecting position under the biasing force of the biasing means. The base end of the pendulum arm is pivotally supported by the arm bracket fixed to the upper end of the stay, and the lock plate with which the pendulum arm is engaged is fixed to the main body base at the front position, and the lock plate An engageable stopper piece is integrally provided on the arm bracket as a position defining means of the main body base at the upward projecting position, and a guide piece for forcibly turning the pendulum arm against the biasing force of the lock spring is energized. When the main body base is forcibly lowered against the urging force of the means, the lock means is integrally provided at the lower end of the lock plate so that the lock means can be re-locked at the initial position below .

Further, according to claim 2 of the present invention, the first restricting means capable of restricting the backward movement of the main body base at the lower initial position, and the second restriction capable of restricting the backward movement of the main body base at the upward projecting position. The means are respectively disposed at substantially the center of the main body base .

  In the headrest structure for a vehicle seat according to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body base that forms the headrest main body is merely raised along the shaft side portion with respect to the stay. It is possible to obtain an upward movement of the headrest body at the time of a rear collision without requiring an internal mechanism or the like of the seat back as a main constituent member. Therefore, this claim 1 has an advantage that the upward movement of the headrest body at the time of the rear collision can be easily ensured without complicating the configuration.

  And, because the main body base is raised under the urging force of the urging means by unlocking the locking means by the inertia swing of the pendulum arm, instant response to the occurrence of impact at the time of rear impact is easily ensured it can. In other words, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is an advantage that the responsiveness to the occurrence of the impact at the time of the rear impact can be reliably improved.

Further, according to claim 1 of the present invention, the engageable stopper in the lock plate, provided with integrally with the arm bracket as the body based location defining means at the upwardly projecting position, the biasing force of the lock spring to the pendulum arm Since the guide piece forcibly rotating against the lock plate is integrated with the lower end of the lock plate, positioning at the upper position and re-locking at the lower initial position are ensured without complicating the configuration. There is an advantage that you can.

Further, a second aspect of the invention, the first regulating means and second regulating means for the rearward movement of the body based on the upwardly projecting position enabling regulation which allows regulating the rearward movement of the body based on the lower initial position Are disposed at substantially the center of the main body base, so that a three-point support with a pair of left and right sliders arranged on the side shaft portion of the stay can be obtained appropriately at both the initial lower position and the upper protruding position. It becomes possible. Therefore, there exists an advantage that the fall of the support performance of the seated person's head by a headrest main body is prevented reliably.

  The upward movement of the headrest at the time of rear-end collision can be realized without complicating the configuration.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a headrest 10 in an initial state showing a headrest structure of a vehicle seat according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, this headrest is a frontal view having left and right side shaft portions 12a. Around the upper half of the U-shaped stay 12, a headrest body 14 capable of elastically supporting the seated person's head is disposed.

  As shown in the figure, the headrest main body 14 is formed by using a substantially case-shaped main body base 16 as a forming base, placing pads around the base, and covering the pads with a trim cover or the like. Then, the lower half of the stay 12 extending downward from the headrest body 14, that is, the lower half of the side shaft portion 12 a is inserted into the upper portion of the seat back 17, so that the headrest 10 having this configuration is disposed. Is done.

  Here, as can be seen from FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. 1, in the present invention, the main body base 16, which forms the headrest main body 14, A predetermined urging means 20 is disposed so as to be movable up and down via a pair of left and right sliders 18 disposed in the upper and lower sides of the main body base.

  The slider 18 is a resin molded body having a substantially U-shaped end surface, and is slidable in the axial direction with respect to the left and right side shaft portions 12a of the stay.

  The main body base 16 is a combination of a front half portion 16a and a rear half portion 16b, and the front half portion and the rear half portion are assembled so as to be capable of moving up and down integrally with the slider 18 by utilizing the protrusion 18a of the slider. It has become.

  Then, for example, a tension coil spring serving as the biasing means 20 is installed and stretched between a pair of support brackets 22 and 23 fixed to the upper end portion 12b of the stay 12 and, for example, the front half portion 16a of the main body base. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the biasing means (tensile coil spring) 20 is a pair of left and right spaced apart from the front of the main body base 16. Is configured to urge upward substantially evenly from side to side.

  Thus, the main body base 16 urged upward by the urging force of the urging means 20 is held at its predetermined lower initial position shown in FIG.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3, the lock means 26 is a pendulum integrally having a weight 30 of a predetermined weight pivotally supported at the base end thereof by an arm bracket 28 fixed to the upper end portion 12b of the stay. An arm 32, a lock plate 34 fixed to the main body base 16 at a position in front of the arm 32 and engaged with the pendulum arm, and a torsion spring wound around a pivot 35, for example, for biasing the pendulum arm in the direction of the lock plate And a combination with a lock spring 36 made of

  The pendulum arm 32 has a hook 32a at its free end, and the stay is fixed by inserting and engaging the hook into the engagement hole 34a of the lock plate by the urging force of the lock spring (torsion spring) 36. The lock means 26 is configured so that the main body base 16 can be lifted with respect to 12.

  Further, reference numeral 38 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is a collar for positioning the pendulum arm 32 with respect to the arm bracket 28.

  The headrest 10 is normally held at the lower initial position shown in FIG. 1 under the lock of the lock means 26. In such an initial state, when the impact at the time of rear impact is input from the vehicle to the seat, the weight 30 of the pendulum arm is accompanied by the swing of the pendulum arm 32 under the inertial force against the impact. If the inertial force exceeds the predetermined set value, that is, the urging force of the lock spring 36, the oscillating force against the urging force of the lock spring (inertia oscillating) The hook 32a of the pendulum arm is separated from the engagement hole 34a of the lock plate.

  The separation of the hook 32a of the pendulum arm from the engagement hole 34a of the lock plate is an unlocking operation in the lock means 26 caused by the occurrence of an impact at the time of rear collision. Then, by unlocking the lock means 26, the main body base 16 is raised along the side shaft portion 12a of the stay under the biasing force of the biasing means 20 (see FIG. 4).

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the stopper piece 28 a that can be engaged with the lock plate 34 serves as a position defining means of the main body base 16 at the upward projecting position. The arm bracket 28 is integrally provided. According to such a configuration, when the main body base 16 is lifted by the urging force of the urging means 20, the upward protrusion position of the main body base, that is, the headrest main body 14, is clearly defined by the engagement of the lock plate 34 with the stopper piece 28a. The main body base is continuously held at the upward projecting position by the biasing force of the biasing means.

  Here, the stopper piece 28a provided on the arm bracket is specifically exemplified as the position defining means of the main body base 16 at the upward projecting position, but it is sufficient if the upward projecting position of the main body base can be defined. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  As described above, in the headrest structure for a vehicle seat according to the present invention, the main body base 16 serving as a formation base of the headrest main body 14 is merely raised along the shaft side portion 12a with respect to the stay 12. Further, it is possible to obtain the upward movement of the headrest body at the time of the rear collision without requiring an internal mechanism or the like of the seat back having the link mechanism as a main constituent member. That is, the upward movement of the headrest body 14 at the time of a rear collision can be easily secured without complicating the configuration.

  Since the main body base 16 is lifted under the urging force of the urging means 20 by unlocking the lock means 26 due to the inertia swing of the pendulum arm 32, an instantaneous response to the occurrence of an impact at the time of the rear collision is obtained. Can be secured easily. That is, according to this invention, the responsiveness with respect to the occurrence of impact at the time of rear collision is reliably improved.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper half and the lower half of the stay side shaft portion 12a in a general headrest are divided and defined with the bent portion as a boundary. Since the bending direction is uniformly in front of the seat back 17, when the main body base 16 is raised along the upper half of the stay side shaft portion 12a according to the present invention, the headrest main body 14 is shown in FIG. It can be seen that it moves forward as shown in FIG.

  In other words, according to the present invention, the headrest body 14 can be moved upward and forward only when the body base 16 is raised along the side shaft portion 12a of the stay. Therefore, it is easy to maintain high support performance for the head of the seated person.

  By the way, if the structure is provided with a complicated link mechanism, a lock at the upward projecting position, etc., the headrest body 16 may not be reused after ascending, that is, the headrest body may not be easily reset to the lower initial position. is there. However, in the present invention, the main body base 16 is only lifted linearly along the side shaft portion 12a of the stay under the biasing force of the biasing means 20, so It is sufficiently possible to forcibly push down the headrest body 14, that is, the body base against the biasing force from the protruding position. In this embodiment, the guide piece 34b for forcibly turning the pendulum arm 32 against the urging force of the lock spring 36 is integrally provided at the lower end of the lock plate 34. , And re-locking at the lower initial position can be easily ensured without complicating the configuration.

  That is, according to the present invention, the reusable headrest 10 after the protrusion operation can be easily secured without complicating the configuration.

  Here, the guide piece 34b of the lock plate 34 is illustrated as a means for forcibly turning the pendulum arm 32 against the urging force of the lock spring 36. However, as long as it has the same function, It is not limited to this. However, by providing the guide piece 34b integrally with the lock plate 34, it is possible to easily reduce the number of parts and simplify the configuration.

  Here, in the headrest structure of the present invention, the main body base 16 to which the load from the seated person's head is applied is connected to the stay 12 serving as the support base via the slider 18 of the side shaft portion 12a. Therefore, there is concern about weakening of support at the center. Therefore, in the present invention, the first restricting means that can restrict the backward movement of the main body base 16 at the lower initial position, and the second restricting means that can restrict the backward movement of the main body base at the upward protruding position, It is assumed that they are respectively arranged at substantially the center of the main body base.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, as the first restricting means, for example, a partially-clamped engaging member 40 that can be fitted to the upper end 12b of the stay from above can be used. The member is fixed to the substantially central portion on the upper inner surface of the main body base 16.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, as the second restricting means, for example, an engagement piece 42 engaged from the front with the stopper piece 28a of the arm bracket can be used. The plate 34 is integrally provided.

  According to such a configuration, the rearward movement restriction at the center portion of the main body base 16 is applied at each of the lower initial position and the upper protruding position, so that the seated person's head is not complicated. Higher support performance can be secured.

  Note that the members cited as the first restricting means and the second restricting means are only examples thereof, and it is sufficient that they have their respective functions at the lower initial position and the upper protruding position of the main body base 16. It is not limited to.

  The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. All modifications, alterations, etc. within the technical scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. Needless to say.

  In general, the headrest that can be attached to and detached from the seat back is the target. However, the headrest that uses the stay as its supporting base is sufficient, and the present invention is not limited to this. May be applied. In addition, since the presence or absence of bending of the stay between the upper half and the lower half is not an essential requirement in the present invention, this is also applied to a headrest that uses a stay that is not bent at the intermediate portion of the side shaft as a support base. The invention is applicable.

It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view in the downward initial position of the headrest structure of the vehicle seat which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic perspective view in the downward initial position of the headrest structure of a vehicle seat. It is a schematic front view in the downward initial position of the headrest structure of a vehicle seat. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view in the upward protrusion position of the headrest structure of a vehicle seat.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Headrest 12 Stay 14 Headrest main body 16 Main body base 18 Slider 20 Energizing means 26 Locking means 32 Pendulum arm 34 Lock plate 36 Lock spring

Claims (2)

A headrest structure for a vehicle seat, in which a headrest body capable of elastically supporting a seated person's head is disposed around the upper half of a front substantially U-shaped stay having a left-right shaft portion,
A substantially case-shaped main body base that forms the headrest main body is disposed and supported with respect to the stay via a pair of left and right sliders arranged on the side shaft portion thereof. A predetermined urging means is arranged to enable upward urging of
The main body by locking the locking means having a combination of: a pendulum arm integrally having a weight of a predetermined weight; a lock plate to which the pendulum arm is engaged; a lock spring for biasing the pendulum arm in the direction of the lock plate; The base can be held at a predetermined lower initial position against the urging force of the urging means, and the swinging of the pendulum arm against the urging force of the lock spring accompanying the input of the impact load at the time of rear impact By releasing the lock, the main body base is raised to a predetermined upward projecting position under the biasing force of the biasing means,
The base end of the pendulum arm is pivotally supported by the arm bracket fixed to the upper end of the stay, and the lock plate to be engaged with the pendulum arm is fixed to the main body base at the front position thereof,
A stopper piece engageable with the lock plate is provided integrally with the arm bracket as a position defining means of the main body base at the upward projecting position, and the pendulum arm is forced against the urging force of the lock spring. A guide piece to be rotated is integrally provided at the lower end of the lock plate so that the lock means can be re-locked at the lower initial position when the main body base is forcibly lowered against the urging force of the urging means. Headrest structure for a vehicle seat. The first restricting means capable of restricting the rearward movement of the main body base at the lower initial position, and the second restricting means capable of restricting the rearward movement of the main body base at the upward projecting position are substantially the central part of the main body base. The headrest structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the headrest structure is disposed on the vehicle seat.

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