JP5771825B2 - Leg cover for seat slide device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a leg cover that covers a leg bracket that fixes a lower rail of a seat slide device to a vehicle floor side.

  A seat slide device having left and right lower rails whose front and rear ends are fixed to the vehicle floor via leg brackets and corresponding upper rails that are slidably mounted on the lower rail with seat cushions placed between the vehicle floor and the vehicle. A vehicle seat that can slide in the front-rear direction on the vehicle floor is known. The upper rail (movable rail) is locked by the lock mechanism with respect to the left and right lower rails (fixed rail), so that the seat is locked at a predetermined slide position with respect to the lower rail, and the operation lever is operated to operate the lock mechanism. The lock is released (locked off).

  In a seat that can be slid by a seat slide device, a leg cover is attached to the leg bracket on the vehicle floor from above to cover the leg bracket, and the leg bracket is hidden to prevent deterioration of the appearance quality. In particular, the leg bracket at the rear end of the lower rail is in the field of view of the rear seat occupant, and it is required to cover the rear leg bracket with a leg cover.

The leg bracket that fixes the front and rear ends of the lower rail to the vehicle floor has, for example, a flat surface on the front and back, and the front and rear flat surfaces are connected by slopes, and the upper surface opens to the front and rear flat surfaces and the side walls on the left and right of the middle side Is formed by bending a steel plate into a stepped shape provided with The upper flat surface is bolted or welded to the lower rail and the lower flat surface is fixed to the vehicle floor, respectively, and the leg bracket fixes the lower rail to the vehicle floor.
On the other hand, the leg cover is formed from a synthetic resin such as polypropylene in a substantially box shape with a bottom open at one of the front and rear ends (in addition, the leg cover is covered on the leg bracket at the rear end of the lower rail). The front end of the leg cover becomes the open end if the front and rear are defined assuming the case). A cantilever-shaped engagement piece having a hook (claw) at the tip is formed on the leg cover. For example, the rear end wall covers the end of the leg bracket and the engagement piece corresponds to the corresponding engagement hole of the leg cover. The leg cover is mounted on and covered with the leg bracket.

  For example, the engagement pieces extending downward are provided on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the front end (opening end) of the leg cover, respectively, and the engagement pieces are suspended from the ceiling adjacent to the rear end of the leg cover, A configuration is known in which one engagement piece in the vicinity of the rear end and one engagement piece in the vicinity of the rear end are engaged with the corresponding engagement holes of the leg bracket, respectively, and the leg cover is covered with the leg bracket (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-2000) -108729).

  In addition, the engagement pieces are formed on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the leg cover and extend opposite to each other in the left-right direction to engage the engagement pieces with the corresponding engagement holes in the side wall of the leg bracket, and the front end (opening) of the leg cover. A configuration is also known in which an engagement piece formed of a hook having a substantially L-shaped cross section provided at the end is engaged with the front end of the leg bracket, and the leg bracket is covered with a leg cover (for example, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 01-036673). (Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 02-126935).

JP 2000-108729 A Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model No. 01-036673 (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 02-126935)

  By the way, on the rear end side of the lower rail, there are many occasions where the legs of the rear seater touch the leg cover of the leg bracket, and the leg bracket is opened above. Therefore, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-108729, in the configuration in which the engagement piece hanging from the ceiling at the front end is engaged from the outside with the engagement hole in the rear end wall of the leg bracket, a load is applied on the leg cover. When applied, the rear end of the leg cover is pushed up, and the engagement piece at the rear end is shifted in the opposite direction to the engagement direction, so that the leg cover may be detached from the leg bracket.

Here, the engagement pieces are provided on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls and engaged with the corresponding engagement holes of the leg bracket from the left and right direction (side), and the engagement direction in the left and right direction is opposite to the engagement direction. The engagement piece is prevented from being displaced. However, the load applied on the leg cover widens the left and right side walls of the leg cover so that the engagement between the engagement pieces on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the leg cover and the engagement holes of the leg bracket is loosened. It is not possible to sufficiently prevent the displacement of the engagement piece in the direction opposite to the engagement direction.
When the engagement piece or the like in the direction opposite to the engagement direction is displaced, the leg cover flutters due to the contact of the rear seater's foot, and finally, the cover is removed from the leg bracket and the covering function is impaired. There is a fear.

  In the configuration in which an engaging piece made of a hook having a substantially L-shaped cross section at the front end of the leg cover is engaged with the front end wall of the leg bracket as described in the microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Application No. 01-036673 (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 02-126935). The engagement by the engagement piece does not regulate any detachment (backward movement) of the leg cover from the leg bracket. Therefore, when a load is applied on the leg cover and the left and right side walls of the leg cover are widened toward the end, the engagement between the engagement pieces on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls of the leg cover and the engagement holes of the leg bracket is loosened. May come off easily from the leg bracket.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a leg cover for a seat slide device that is reliably covered with a leg bracket without causing fluttering or detachment.

In the present invention, a rib in the longitudinal direction is provided, an opposing wall that is orthogonal to the rib and is opposed to the rib is provided on the outer side of the rib, and an engagement piece that engages with an engagement hole in the end wall of the leg bracket from the outside The leg bracket terminal wall is sandwiched between the cutout, the opposing wall and the engaging piece from the outside, and the rib from the inside.
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the leg cover of the slide device that is covered from above with the leg bracket that fixes the lower rail of the seat slide device to the vehicle floor side, the leg cover is formed from a synthetic resin and is The rib in the direction hangs down from the ceiling, and the opposing wall that is perpendicular to the rib and faces the rib hangs outward from the ceiling so that the substantially upright end wall of the leg bracket terminal can be sandwiched between the ribs and hung from the ceiling. A cantilever-shaped engagement piece that can be engaged from the outside into the engagement hole of the leg bracket terminal wall is cut out from the opposing wall, and the terminal wall is located between the opposing wall and the engaging piece and the rib. Is pinched.

  Since the end wall of the leg bracket is clamped by the opposing wall and the engagement piece from the outside and the rib from the inside, the engagement piece is tilted against the leg bracket in such a direction as to remove the hook from the engagement hole of the end wall. Such shift (movement) of the leg cover is not only prevented by the opposing wall and the engagement piece, but also the shift of the leg cover in the direction opposite to the engagement direction is prevented by the rib. Therefore, the shift of the leg cover in any direction is prevented, and the leg cover is reliably covered with the leg bracket without fluttering or coming off.

(A)-(C) show the perspective view from the downward direction of the leg cover of the slide rail apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention, a bottom view, and the side view along line CC of (B), respectively. The perspective view from the upper part of a leg bracket is shown. The fragmentary perspective view which expanded the A section of FIG. 1 (A) is shown. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the leg cover mounted and covered on the leg bracket, with the top and bottom inverted along line 4-4 in FIG.

  The leg cover is molded from synthetic resin, the longitudinal ribs hang from the ceiling of the leg cover, and the opposing wall that is orthogonal to the ribs and faces the ribs can hold the end wall of the leg bracket terminal between the ribs It hangs away from the ceiling. A cantilever-shaped engagement piece that has a hook at the tip and can be engaged with the engagement hole of the end wall of the leg bracket from the outside is cut out from the opposing wall by providing a substantially U-shaped groove on the opposing wall, The hook engages with the engagement hole of the leg bracket terminal wall, and the leg bracket terminal wall is clamped by the opposing wall and the engagement piece from the outside and by the rib from the inside. For example, the rib in the longitudinal direction has a step portion that holds the end wall of the leg bracket between the hook at the tip of the engagement piece and restricts the movement of the leg bracket in the vertical direction, It is provided in the left-right direction across.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Since the shape of the inner surface of the leg cover is characteristic, the bottom surface will be mainly shown below, and FIGS. 1A to 1C show the lower side of the leg cover of the slide rail device according to the embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view, a bottom view, and a side view along line CC in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view from above of the leg bracket.
In addition, the leg cover is mounted and covered on the front and rear leg brackets that fix the front and rear ends of the lower rail of the seat slide device to the vehicle floor, but in the embodiment, the (rear) leg that fixes the rear end of the lower rail to the vehicle floor. The case where the bracket is mounted and covered will be described. In the figure, the front is F, the rear is R, the left and right are X, and -X. In addition, around the terminal wall at the rear end of the leg bracket, the front corresponds to the inside, and the rear corresponds to the outside.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the leg cover 10 has a substantially box shape with a front end opened, a bottom is removed, and a side wall is low, and a front half of the leg cover 10 sandwiches a notch 11a to the left and right. The arm 11 is formed from a synthetic resin such as polypropylene in a substantially U shape in plan view extending in the front-rear direction.
The leg cover 10 is adjacent to the arm 11 and the pair of left and right engagement pieces 13-1 and 12 with the notch sandwiched between the engagement piece 12 at the rear end and a position sufficiently separated forward from the engagement piece. A pair of left and right engagement pieces 13-2 are respectively provided in front of the engagement pieces 12, and these three kinds of engagement pieces 12, 13-1, 13-2 are suspended from the ceiling and hooked to the tip thereof. It is shaped like a cantilever with a nail. Here, the hook of the engagement piece 12 at the rear end is provided rearward, and the hooks of the engagement pieces 13-1 and 13-2 on the side wall are provided facing the direction in which the left and right hooks face each other (notch direction). It has been. The length of the engagement pieces 12, 13-1, 13-2 depending on the position (height position) in the vertical direction of the corresponding engagement hole of the leg bracket described later is determined. Accordingly, the corresponding engagement holes of the leg bracket are sequentially engaged. Reference numeral 14 denotes a reinforcing rib formed on the ceiling of the leg cover.

As shown in FIG. 2, the leg bracket 20 has front and back flat surfaces 20a-1 and 20a-2 at the front and rear thereof, and the front and rear flat surfaces are connected by an inclined surface 20b. A flat steel plate is formed by bending a steel plate into a stepped shape having side walls on the left and right sides of the middle side surface. In the embodiment, the rear end is divided from the side wall to form an upright terminal wall 21. An engagement hole 21 ′ is formed in the terminal wall, an engagement hole 23-1 is formed in the front end of each of the left and right side walls, and an engagement hole 23-2 is formed in the rear end. It is an elongated slot. Needless to say, the engagement holes 21 ′, 23-1 and 23-2 are provided at positions where the corresponding engagement pieces 12, 13-1 and 13-2 of the leg cover 10 can be engaged.

  The front and rear flat surfaces 20a-1 and 20a-2 are provided with mounting holes 24 such as bolts for fixing the leg bracket 20 to the lower rail terminal and the vehicle floor, respectively. The leg cover arm 11 is put on the stepped flat surface.

In the present invention, a rib in the longitudinal direction is provided and a facing wall orthogonal to the rib and facing the rib is provided on the outside of the rib, and the engagement piece 12 at the rear end of the leg cover is cut out from the facing wall to form the end wall of the leg bracket. The engagement hole is engaged from the outside, and the leg bracket terminal wall is sandwiched between the opposing wall and the engagement piece from the outside and the rib from the inside.
3A is a partial perspective view showing an enlarged portion A of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 4 is a view of the leg cover attached to and covered with the leg bracket along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3A. Inverted cross-sectional views are shown respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the engagement piece 12 that hangs down from the ceiling at the rear end of the leg cover has a hook (claw) 12 ′ at the front end located inward (front end direction), and the rear end of the leg bracket. It is possible to engage with the engagement hole 21 ′ (see FIG. 2) of the terminal wall from the outside.
In addition, ribs 16 extending in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) are suspended from the ceiling on the inner left and right sides of the engagement piece 12, and this rib is connected to the hook 12 ′ at the front end of the engagement piece. A step portion 16 ′ for holding the terminal wall 21 of the leg bracket is formed.

An opposing wall 18 that is orthogonal to the rib 16 in the longitudinal direction and faces the rib hangs away from the ceiling so that the end wall 21 of the leg bracket can be sandwiched between the ribs and hangs down from the ceiling. 18a (located in the upper side in FIG. 3) is an inclined surface that is bent outward, for example, 40 to 50 °. The engaging piece 12 is cut out from the opposing wall by providing a substantially U-shaped groove 18b in the opposing wall 18, and the engaging piece and the opposing wall are integrally formed. A pair of left and right reinforcing ribs 18c extend forward and rearward from the opposing wall 18, and the opposing ribs prevent the opposing wall from falling in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction).
In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the rib 16 and the opposing wall are mutually reinforced by connecting the rib 16 to the opposing wall 18 through the step part 16 '.
Furthermore, the front end surface (lower end surface) 16 a of the rib is also an inclined surface, and this inclined surface is inclined so as to become lower toward the facing wall 18.

An example of mounting and covering the leg cover 10 on the leg bracket 20 will be described below.
The leg cover 10 is put on the leg bracket 20 so as to position the terminal wall 21 of the leg bracket 20 between the rib 16 and the opposing wall 18 of the leg cover 10 and pressed downward (push in). Here, the front end surface (lower end surface) 16a of the rib at the rear end of the leg cover and the lower end 18a of the opposing wall are inclined surfaces. As can be seen from FIG. It has become. Therefore, when the leg cover 10 is put on the leg bracket 20 and pushed in, the inclined surface of the rib 16 and the opposing wall 18 serves as a guide, and the leg cover 10 slides in the front-rear direction with respect to the leg bracket. The wall 21 enters between the rib and the opposing wall. Therefore, the leg cover 10 is automatically positioned with respect to the terminal wall 21 of the leg bracket, and the leg cover can be mounted with high workability.
When pressed further downward (pushing in), the hook 12 'at the tip of the engagement piece is pressed against the upper end of the terminal wall, and the leg cover 10 is lowered while releasing the engagement piece backward (rightward in FIG. 4). Eventually, the hook 12 ′ enters the engagement hole 21 ′ of the terminal wall, and the engagement piece 12 is engaged with the engagement hole.

As can be clearly seen from FIG. 4, the inner surface 12 ′ a of the hook is inclined so as to be pushed back (inward) by the terminal wall 21 when pressed by the upper end of the engagement hole 21 ′. Therefore, the inner surface 18d of the opposing wall is pressed and adhered to the side surface of the opposing wall, and the end wall 21 of the leg bracket is located between the opposing wall 18 of the leg cover and the engagement piece 12 and the rib 16 without leaving a gap in the front-rear direction. It is pinched by.
Further, the inclined surface of the inner surface 12′a of the hook presses the upper portion of the engagement hole of the terminal wall in the direction of the rib step portion 16 ′, leaving almost no gap between the step portion and the leg bracket. The terminal wall is clamped in the vertical direction. Since the ribs 16 are provided on the left and right sides of the engagement piece 12, the terminal wall 21 can be evenly clamped from the left and right without causing twisting (without tilting).

In this way, the engagement piece 12 is engaged with the end wall 21 of the leg bracket, and the end wall is sandwiched from the front and rear by the opposing wall 18 of the leg cover, the engagement piece 12 and the rib 16.
A pair of left and right engagement pieces 13-1 provided on the arm 11 sufficiently away from the engagement piece 12 before and after the engagement of the engagement piece 12 with the terminal wall 21 at the rear end is formed on the leg bracket side wall. It engages with the corresponding engagement hole 23-1. A pair of left and right engaging pieces 13-2 provided adjacent to the engaging piece 12 are also engaged with the corresponding engaging holes 23-2 on the side wall adjacent to the end wall 21 of the leg bracket.

  In the present invention, the engaging piece 12 at the rear end of the leg cover is cut out from the opposing wall 18 facing the rib 16 in the longitudinal direction to integrate the engaging piece and the opposing wall, and the engaging piece is engaged with the end wall 21 of the leg bracket. At the same time, the end wall of the leg bracket is sandwiched from the front and rear by the opposing wall of the leg cover, the engaging piece and the rib. Therefore, at the rear end side of the lower rail, even when a force applied to the leg cover 10 of the leg bracket by the foot of the rear seated person and a load applied on the leg cover to push up the rear end of the leg cover acts on the engagement piece 12, Inclination (deformation) of the engagement piece in a direction in which the hook 12 ′ is removed from the engagement hole 21 ′ of the terminal wall is prevented not only by the engagement piece itself but also by the opposing wall 18. That is, the opposite wall 18 and the engagement piece 12 are reliably prevented from shifting in the direction opposite to the engagement direction.

Further, since the opposing wall 18 and the longitudinal rib 16 that is spaced inward from the engagement piece 12 by an interval capable of sandwiching the end wall 21 of the leg bracket are provided close to the end wall of the leg bracket, The shift of the leg cover in the direction opposite to the direction (backward) is prevented by the rib.
In this way, the shift of the leg cover in the direction opposite to the engagement direction (backward) is prevented from the front and rear by the rib 16, the opposing wall 18, and the engagement piece 12, so that the engagement piece 12 is not disengaged. Engaged with the terminal wall 21, the leg cover is covered with the leg bracket without fluttering or coming off the leg bracket.

  Since the engaging piece 12 is cut out from the opposing wall 18 and the engaging piece and the opposing wall are integrated, the rib 16, the engaging piece 12, and the opposing wall 18 can be arranged in a compact manner.

Furthermore, the inner surface 12 ′ a of the hook is inclined, and the inner surface 18 d of the opposing wall is pressed against and closely adhered to the side surface of the opposing wall, so that the leg bracket is fixed between the opposing wall 18 (engagement piece 12) of the leg cover and the rib 16. The terminal wall is sandwiched in the front-rear direction without a gap, and the upper portion of the engagement hole of the terminal wall is pressed in the direction of the rib step 16 ′ by the inclined surface of the inner surface 12′a of the hook, The end wall of the leg bracket is sandwiched in the vertical direction with almost no gap left between them.
In this way, since the end wall 21 of the leg bracket is sandwiched between the opposing wall 18 and the engagement piece 12 and the rib 16 in the front and rear and up and down directions, the leg cover is prevented from being pushed up at the rear end. Also, the engagement piece 12 is engaged with the end wall 21 of the leg bracket without being disengaged. In addition, since the terminal wall 21 of the leg bracket is sandwiched from the front and rear and the top and bottom without any gaps, the generation of abnormal noise during the traveling of the vehicle is prevented.

  Furthermore, engagement pieces 13-1 and 13-2 provided on the left and right sides of the side wall of the leg cover are provided in a sufficiently separated manner in the front-rear direction. Therefore, even if the left and right side walls of the leg cover 10 are widened toward the end by a load applied on the leg cover, the engagement of the engagement pieces 13-1 and 13-2 of the two side walls separated in the front-rear direction is both At the same time, there is little possibility that the engaging piece 12 is loosened and the engaging piece 12 is displaced in the opposite direction to the engaging direction, and the leg cover can be prevented from flapping or coming off from the leg bracket.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the terminal wall is sandwiched between the opposing wall and the engagement piece from the outside and the rib from the inside, the hook is removed from the engagement hole of the terminal wall with respect to the leg bracket. The shift (movement) of the leg cover that causes the engagement piece to fall in a proper direction is not only prevented by the opposing wall and the engagement piece, but also the shift of the leg cover in the direction opposite to the engagement direction is prevented by the rib. . Therefore, the shift of the leg cover in any direction is prevented, and the leg cover is reliably covered with the leg bracket without fluttering or coming off.

  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.

  For example, one rib is provided on each of the left and right sides of the engagement piece, but two or more ribs may be provided on the left and right.

  The present invention is generally applied to a vehicle seat that is slid in the front-rear direction by a slide rail device. For example, a movie theater in which the seat is slid in the front-rear direction as well as a vehicle seat for a train, an airplane, etc. It can also be applied to seats in theaters and concert venues.

10 Leg cover 12 Engagement piece 12 'Hook (nail)
12'a Hook inner surface 13-1, 13-2 Engagement piece on side wall 16 Rib 16 'Stepped portion 16a Tip surface (inclined surface)
18 Opposite wall 18a Lower end (inclined surface)
18b Groove 20 Leg bracket 21 End wall 21 'Engagement hole 23-1, 23-2 Engagement hole on side wall

Claims (5)

In the leg cover of the slide device covered from above the leg bracket that fixes the lower rail of the seat slide device to the vehicle floor side,
The leg cover is molded from synthetic resin,
The longitudinal ribs hang from the ceiling,
An opposing wall orthogonal to the rib and facing the rib hangs down from the ceiling so as to be able to sandwich the substantially upright end wall of the leg bracket terminal between the rib and the ceiling,
A cantilever-shaped engagement piece that can be engaged from the outside into the engagement hole of the leg bracket terminal wall with a hook at the tip is cut out from the opposing wall, and the terminal is between the opposing wall, the engaging piece, and the rib. Leg cover of the seat slide device that holds the wall.   The longitudinal rib has a step portion for holding the end wall of the leg bracket between the hook at the tip of the engagement piece and restricting the movement of the leg bracket in the vertical direction, and sandwiching the engagement piece. The leg cover of the seat slide device according to claim 1, which is provided in the left-right direction.   The hook at the tip of the engagement piece is inclined at the inner surface, abuts against the upper end of the engagement hole of the terminal wall, presses the opposing wall against the outer surface of the terminal wall, and presses the rib step toward the upper surface of the terminal wall. Item 3. The leg cover of the seat slide device according to Item 1 or 2.   The lower end of the opposing wall is bent outward and inclined, and the front end face of the rib in the longitudinal direction is inclined to serve as a guide when sandwiching the end wall of the leg bracket. Leg cover for seat slide device.   The leg cover of the seat slide device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a substantially U-shaped groove is provided in the opposing wall, and the engaging piece is cut out from the opposing wall.

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