JP4892680B2 - Vehicle seat - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a vehicle seat having a function of protecting an occupant from an impact such as a side collision.

  When a vehicle collision such as a side collision occurs, a door, a body frame, or the like collides with an occupant due to an impact load at the time of the collision, and the safety of the occupant is impaired. For this reason, structures for protecting passengers from collision accidents have been developed. However, the measures for protecting the head and chin of a passenger in a side collision are not sufficient.

  The structure described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-202203 connects an air bag to a gas generator. The airbag has a chest protection part and a head protection part formed in series, and is stored inside the seat back in a folded state. In this structure, when there is a vehicle collision, the gas injected from the gas generator flows into the airbag and the airbag is inflated to cover and protect the chest and head of the occupant.

  The structure described in JP-A-6-247249 also uses an airbag, and the folded airbag is accommodated in a seat back or a headrest, and the gas generator is activated due to a side collision and the airbag is operated. When the air bag inflates, the airbag spreads between the occupant's head and jaws and the inner surface of the vehicle.

The structure described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-28142 divides the headrest into left and right parts. The left and right divided bodies are formed so that the lower jaw fixing portion protrudes and are connected by an elastic body, and the divided body covers and fixes the occupant's jaw from the left and right by the urging force of the elastic body. Thereby, the passenger | crew's neck part is protected from the impact at the time of a collision.
JP-A-9-202203 JP-A-6-247249 JP-A-2005-281212

  In the structure described in JP-A-9-202203 and JP-A-6-247249, there is a problem that it takes time until the airbag is fully inflated from the use of the airbag, resulting in insufficient protection. is there. In the structure described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-28142, the headrest has a shape having a lower jaw fixing portion, so that the headrest has a unique outer shape. It is difficult.

  In view of the above, there is a demand for a structure that can protect an occupant in the event of a vehicle collision without using an airbag and without causing an uncomfortable design in the seat. The present invention has been made in response to such demands, and does not require a significant change in the design of the seat, and is intended to protect the back and chin of the occupant in a side collision, and Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that can exhibit a protective function.

  The vehicle seat according to claim 1 is a vehicle seat having a headrest on an upper portion of a seatback, wherein the seatback includes a seatback main body to which the headrest is attached, and upper left and right shoulders of the seatback main body. It consists of a pair of protective pads that make up the part, and the protective pads can be moved from the left and right shoulder parts of the seat back body to the left and right side positions sandwiching the headrest, and driven by a signal that detects a vehicle collision The driving means is connected to the protection pad so as to move the protection pad.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, when there is a vehicle collision, the protective pad moves (moves upward) to the position sandwiching the headrest by driving the driving means, and covers the occupant's head and chin from both sides It becomes. Since the movement distance of the protection pad is a short distance from the upper part of the seat back to the headrest immediately above, the movement can be instantaneously performed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably protect the occupant's head and chin in a vehicle collision such as a side collision.

  Further, in the invention of claim 1, the protective pad constitutes a shoulder portion of the seat back body in a normal state, and even if the protective pad is provided on the seat back, the seat back partially protrudes or is recessed. There is nothing to do. Therefore, no major changes are required in the design of the entire sheet, and a sense of incongruity does not occur.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the vehicle seat according to the first aspect, wherein the protective pad is sized to protect at least a region from the head of the passenger to the chin.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the vehicle seat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive means is a gas generator connected directly or indirectly to a frame member inside the protective pad. Features.

  According to the present invention, the protection pad is instantaneously moved from the upper part of the seat back to the headrest side due to a vehicle collision to protect the occupant's head and chin, and thus safety is improved. In addition, since the protective pad forms the shoulder portion of the seat back body at normal times, the design of the entire seat does not need to be changed greatly, and a sense of incongruity does not occur.

  1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the operation of a mechanism portion.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the seat 1 includes a seat cushion 2, a seat back 3 attached so as to stand up at the rear portion of the seat cushion 2, and a headrest 4 provided on the upper portion of the seat back 3. The seat back 3 may be reclining with respect to the seat cushion 2.

  The seat back 3 has a seat back main body 3c including a flat main portion 3a and side portions 3b on the left and right sides of the main portion 3a. The side part 3b of the seat back main body 3c projects forward from the main part 3a and supports the back of a seated passenger (not shown) from the left and right.

  The headrest 4 is provided in the upper part of the seat back main body 3c. In this embodiment, the headrest 4 has substantially the same lateral width as the width of the main portion 3a, and is provided on the upper portion of the main portion 3a so as to support the head of the occupant.

  Protective pads 5 are provided on the left and right side portions 3b of the seat back body 3c. Each protection pad 5 is provided at the upper part of the corresponding side part 3b, thereby constituting the upper left and right shoulder parts of the seat back body 3c. Therefore, the seat back 3 is formed by the seat back main body 3 c and the protective pad 5.

  Each protective pad 5 is movable upward (movable upward) from left and right shoulder portions of the seat back body 3c. The protection pad 5 is moved to the left and right side positions with the headrest 4 interposed therebetween. By this movement, the pair of protective pads 5 are in positions where the headrest 4 is sandwiched, and it is possible to sandwich the face and head of a seated passenger. In this embodiment, the protective pad 5 is located on the outer side of the upper portion of the side portion 3b and is located away from the headrest 4 on the main portion 3a, so that the movement without interference with the headrest 4 is possible. It is possible. Therefore, the protective pad 5 can move smoothly.

  The size (height and width) of the protective pad 5 has a favorable dimension corresponding to the region from the head of the occupant to the chin, and is preferably larger than this. By setting it as the dimension of such a magnitude | size, the protection pad 5 can protect the body part applied from the passenger | crew's head to the jaw part, and can protect a passenger | crew from a side collision.

  2 and 3 show a mechanism for moving the left and right protective pads 5. 2 shows, for example, a mechanism for the left protective pad 5, and FIG. 3 shows a mechanism for the right protective pad 5, which is the opposite side. Each of the left and right protective pads 5 is provided with a frame member 6 serving as an aggregate. The frame member 6 is covered with a foam (not shown) serving as a cushion material, and the foam is covered with a skin (not shown). The frame member 6 has an inverted U-shaped main frame 6a made of a pipe material, and a support frame 6b spanned over the main frame 6a. In this embodiment, for example, the connection link 7 shown in FIG. 2 is arranged on the left protection pad 5, and the operation link 14 shown in FIG. 3 is arranged on the right protection pad 5 on the opposite side.

  The support frames 6b of the left and right protection pads 5 are formed in a T shape, and the connection link 7 or the operation link 14 is connected to each leg portion 6c by a pin. That is, one end 8 of the connecting link 7 is connected to the leg 6c (see FIG. 2), and one end 18 of the operating link 14 is the leg 6c (in FIG. 3, the support frame 6 is omitted). Connected to

  The connection link 7 and the operation link 14 are formed in an L shape, and a bent portion thereof is pivotally supported by the seat back frame. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 9 denotes a shaft portion that pivotally supports the connecting link 7 on the seat back frame, and in FIG. 3, reference numeral 16 denotes a shaft that pivotally supports the operation link 14 on the seat back frame. Part. In the seat back, the connecting link 7 and the operating link 14 are connected by a connecting cable 10.

  The connecting cable 10 includes an outer cable 10b and an inner cable 10a, and both ends of the outer cable 10b are fixed to the seat back frame. The inner cable 10a is drawn from both ends of the outer cable 10b. Then, one end of the inner cable 10a is connected to the other end 15 of the connection link 7 (see FIG. 2), and the other end of the inner cable 10a is connected to the other end 18 of the operation link 14 (see FIG. 3). With this structure, the connection link 7 and the operation link 14 described above can be connected.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the operating link 14 is connected to a gas generator 13 as driving means. The gas generator 13 includes a cylinder portion 13a and a piston portion 13b drawn from the cylinder portion 13a, and the cylinder portion 13a is fixed to the b seat back frame. In the cylinder part 13a, gas is instantly generated by a signal that detects a vehicle collision, and the pinton part 13b extends instantaneously. The tip of the piston portion 13b is connected to one end of the operating link 14 by a pin 17, and when the piston portion 13b extends, the operating link 14 rotates clockwise about the shaft portion 16.

  In this embodiment, the gas generator 13 ignites and generates gas instantaneously (within 2 to 4 milliseconds) by a signal that detects a vehicle collision such as a side collision, and the piston portion 13b expands to actuate the operating link 14. Rotates around the shaft 16 in the clockwise direction. Simultaneously with this operation, the inner cable 10a of the connecting cable 10 is pulled by the arrow A in FIG. Since one end of the inner cable 10 a is connected to the other end 15 of the connection link 7, the connection link 7 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft portion 9.

  The other end 18 of the operation link 14 is connected to the frame member 6 in the right protection pad 5, and one end 8 of the connection link 7 is connected to the frame member 6 in the left protection pad 5. Accordingly, as the operation link 14 and the connection link 7 rotate, the left and right frame members 6 move upward as indicated by the arrow B in FIG. By the upward movement of the left and right frame members 6, the left and right protective pads 5 instantaneously move a short distance to the left and right side positions (chain line positions in FIG. 1) sandwiching the headrest 4.

  And since the protection pad 5 will be in the state which covered the passenger | crew's head and chin part right and left, a passenger | crew's head and chin part can be protected. In this case, an appropriate stopper (not shown) may be provided to restrict the amount of movement of the left and right protective pads 5 against the rotation of the connecting link 7 or the operating link 14 or the upward movement of the left and right frame members 6. preferable. Further, after the protection pad 5 is moved, the original state can be restored by lowering the protection pad 5 manually.

  In such an embodiment, the driving means is driven by a signal of a vehicle collision such as a side collision, and the protection pad 5 moves to a position sandwiching the headrest 4 to protect the passenger's head and jaw from the left and right. To do. The moving distance of the protective pad 5 is a short distance from the upper part of the seat back main body 3c to the headrest 4 immediately above it, and can be moved instantaneously, so that the occupant can be reliably protected in a vehicle collision.

  Further, the protective pad 5 constitutes a shoulder portion of the seat back body 3c in a normal state, and even if the protective pad 5 is provided on the seat back 3, the seat back 3 partially protrudes or is depressed. There is no. Therefore, the design of the entire sheet 1 does not need to be changed greatly, and a sense of incongruity does not occur. Furthermore, since the frame member 6 of the left and right protective pads 5 is connected and moved upward by the connecting cable 10, the left and right protective pads 5 can be operated by one gas generator 13, and the structure is simplified. Can be.

  FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a gas generator 13 as drive means is connected to the frame member 6 inside the protective pad 5. The gas generator 13 includes a cylinder part 13a and a piston part 13b drawn from the cylinder part 13a. The cylinder portion 13 a is fixed to the seat back frame, and the piston portion 13 b is connected to the leg portion 6 c of the frame member 6 by the pin 11. Therefore, in the embodiment, the gas generator 13 and the frame member 6 are directly connected to each of the left and right protective pads 5.

  The gas generator 13 has a piston portion 13b that extends vertically upward. The gas generator 13 is connected to and controlled by a collision sensor (not shown) that detects a vehicle collision. Therefore, the gas generator 13 ignites instantaneously (within 2 to 4 milliseconds) and generates gas based on a signal that detects a vehicle collision. Since the piston portion 13b extends vertically upward due to the generation of gas, the frame member 6 moves upward in the arrow B direction. As a result, the left and right protective pads 5 move upward as indicated by the arrow E and move to the left and right maximum values sandwiching the headrest 4 to protect the occupant's head and chin.

  Also in this embodiment, since the protective pad 5 constitutes the shoulder portion of the seat back main body 3c, the design of the entire seat 1 does not need to be greatly changed, and a sense of incongruity does not occur.

1 is an overall perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the action | operation mechanism of 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the action | operation mechanism connected with the mechanism of FIG. It is a side view which shows the action | operation mechanism of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat 3 Seat back 3c Seat back main body 4 Headrest 5 Protection pad 6 Frame member 7 Connection link 10 Connection cable 13 Gas generator 14 Actuation link

Claims (3)

A vehicle seat with a headrest on the top of the seat back,
The seat back includes a seat back main body to which the headrest is attached and a pair of protective pads constituting upper and left shoulder portions of the upper portion of the seat back main body, and the protective pad extends the headrest from the left and right shoulder portions of the seat back main body. A vehicle seat characterized in that it can move to the left and right side positions sandwiched, and a driving means that is driven by a signal that detects a vehicle collision is connected to the protection pad so as to move the protection pad. .   The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the protective pad is sized to protect at least a region from the head of the passenger to the chin.   The vehicle seat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the driving means is a gas generator connected directly or indirectly to a frame member inside the protective pad.

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