JP7420455B2 - vehicle seat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rotatable vehicle seat.

2. Description of the Related Art Techniques related to vehicle seats that allow occupants such as elderly people and physically disabled people to easily get on and off vehicles such as automobiles are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2. The lift-up seat for a vehicle described in Patent Document 1 includes a width direction support base that slides and supports the seat body in the vehicle width direction, a rotation support base that rotatably supports the width direction support base, and a rotation support base that supports the width direction support base in the vehicle width direction. It is equipped with a front-back support stand that slides in the front-back direction. The rotation support base rotates the width direction support base and the seat body between a position facing the front of the vehicle and a position facing the door opening side. The seat body located facing the front of the vehicle is turned toward the door opening side by a rotating support base, and then moved to the outside by a widthwise support base (see paragraph [0014] of Patent Document 1, FIG. 2, etc.) .

Patent Document 2 discloses a rotating vehicle seat in which the seat is rotated between a storage position and an outward facing position, and the seat is movable between a storage position and an extended position. When moving the seat from the storage position to the protrusion position, this rotating vehicle seat has two functions: an outward rotation movement that turns the seat in the storage position into an outward facing position, and a seat extension movement that causes the seat to protrude outward from the door opening. (See paragraphs [0016], [0017], [0029], FIG. 3, etc. of Patent Document 2). The storage position is a position where the seat faces the front of the vehicle during normal riding. The outward position is a position where the seat faces toward the door opening. The protruding position is a position where the seat faces outward and exits from the door opening.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-321406 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-219770

In a vehicle seat in which the seat body rotates and moves to a position where it is easy to get on and off, it is desirable to shorten the operation time required to move the seat body. In the vehicle seats described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the seat body is moved from the position where the occupant sits when getting on the vehicle to the position where the occupant gets on and off the vehicle, the seat body is rotated toward the door opening side, and then the seat is moved. Execute the action of sliding the main body from the door opening to the outside of the vehicle. In conventional vehicle seats, the seat body rotates and slides sequentially, so it takes a long time to move the seat body.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that can shorten the operating time required for moving the seat body.

A vehicle seat according to one aspect of the present invention includes:
a first operation unit that rotates the seat body within a range of a seating position facing the front of the vehicle and an ingress/egress position facing the door opening side of the vehicle;
a second operating unit that moves the seat body toward or away from the ground;
a control unit that performs a rotation operation of the seat body by the first operation unit, and an approaching operation and a separation operation of the seat body by the second operation unit,
When the position where the front end of the seat body is closest to the vehicle component within the rotation range of the seat body is defined as the closest position;
The control unit includes:
performing the approach operation while the seat body rotates from the closest approach position to the getting on/off position;
The separating operation is performed while the seat body rotates from the getting-on/off position to the closest approach position.

The above vehicle seat can shorten the operating time required for the seat body to move between the seating position and the position where it is easy to get on and off the seat. This is because during the operation of rotating the seat body, the operation of moving the seat body closer to or away from the ground is simultaneously performed. Specifically, the control unit executes the approaching operation or the separating operation while the seat body rotates between the closest approach position and the getting-on/off position. Further, the above-mentioned vehicle seat is easy to control and easy to use, and can be easily applied to small cars with limited leg space.

When the seat body rotates from the seating position to the getting-on/off position, the control section executes the approach operation while rotating from the closest approach position to the getting-on/off position. In other words, the approach operation is performed after the seat body passes the closest approach position. Further, when the seat body rotates from the getting-on/off position to the seating position, the control section executes the separation operation while rotating from the getting-on/off position to the closest approach position. In other words, the separating operation is performed before the seat body passes the closest approach position. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occupant seated on the seat body from coming into contact with vehicle structural members during the rotational movement of the seat body.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle seat according to the first embodiment, viewed from above the vehicle, and shows the vehicle seat in a seating position. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle seat according to the first embodiment, viewed from above the vehicle, and shows the vehicle seat in the getting-on/off position. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle seat according to Embodiment 1 viewed from the rear of the vehicle, and shows the vehicle seat in the getting-on/off position.

A specific example of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same names. "FR" indicates the front of the vehicle, "RR" indicates the rear of the vehicle, "UP" indicates the top of the vehicle, "LWR" indicates the bottom of the vehicle, "LH" indicates the left side of the vehicle, and "RH" indicates the right side of the vehicle. show. Further, "OUT" indicates the outside of the vehicle, and "IN" indicates the inside of the vehicle.

[Embodiment 1]
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 1 of Embodiment 1 includes a seat body 2 and a base 3 that supports the seat body 2. The vehicle seat 1 includes a first operating section 31, a second operating section 32, and a control section 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first operating section 31 moves the seat body 2 between the seating position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) and the getting-on/off position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3). Rotate. The second operating section 32 causes the seat body 2 to approach or move away from the ground G, as shown in FIG. The control unit 4 rotates the seat body 2, and causes the seat body 2 to move toward and away from the seat body 2. One of the features of the vehicle seat 1 is that while the seat body 2 rotates between the closest position (indicated by broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 3) and the getting-on/off position, the control unit 4 controls the approaching operation or the separating operation. It lies in the point of performing an action.

(Overview of vehicle seats)
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 1 has a seat body 2 supported by a base 3, and the base 3 is mounted on a floor 101 of a vehicle 10. A door opening 110 is provided on the side of the vehicle 10. The door opening 110 is opened and closed by the door 11 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). 2 and 3, the door 11 is shown in an open state. The vehicle seat 1 may be a front seat or a rear seat. In this example, the vehicle seat 1 is applied to a passenger seat. A door opening 110 is provided on the left side of the passenger seat. The door 11 shown in FIG. 2 is a front door. The door 11 is attached to a vehicle component that constitutes a door opening 110. Specifically, the front end of the door 11 is rotatably attached to the lower part of the front pillar 5 via a hinge (not shown). Note that the door 11 is omitted in FIGS. 1 and 4. Further, in FIGS. 2 and 3, for convenience of explanation, the pedestal 3 (first operating section 31, second operating section 32, etc.) is not illustrated.

(seat body)
As shown in FIG. 1, the seat body 2 includes a seat cushion 21 that supports the buttocks of the occupant, a seat back 22 that supports the back of the occupant, and a headrest 23 that supports the head of the occupant. The seat body 2 of this example includes a reclining device 25 that tilts the seat back 22 with respect to the seat cushion 21. The reclining device 25 allows the inclination angle of the seat back 22 to be changed manually. Of course, the reclining device 25 may be an electric type.

(First operating part)
The vehicle seat 1 includes a first operating section 31 that rotates the seat body 2, as shown in FIG. The first operating portion 31 allows the seat body 2 to rotate. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first operating section 31 rotates the seat body 2 within the range between the seating position and the getting-on/off position. The seating position is a position where the occupant is seated when riding the vehicle, and the seat body 2 faces toward the front of the vehicle 10, as shown by the solid line in FIG. When the seat body 2 is in the seating position, the seat body 2 is stored in the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 2, and the front-rear direction of the seat body 2 coincides with the front-rear direction of the vehicle 10. The getting on/off position is a position where an occupant gets on and off, and the seat body 2 faces toward the door opening 110, as shown by the solid line in FIG. When the seat body 2 is in the getting-on/off position, as shown in FIG. 3, the seat body 2 faces the outside of the vehicle (in this example, the left side), and the front-rear direction of the seat body 2 faces the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle 10. matches. The first operating section 31 in this example is provided on the pedestal 3. In this example, the first operating section 31 is installed on a third operating section 33, which will be described later.

The first operating section 31 can utilize a known rotating device. Examples of the configuration of the first operating unit 31 include a configuration including a rotation base that is rotatably supported, a rotation mechanism that rotationally drives the rotation base, and a rotation motor that drives the rotation mechanism. The seat body 2 is placed on a rotating base. With the above configuration, the rotation base (seat main body 2) is rotated within the above range by the rotation mechanism.

<Closest position>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the seat body 2 rotates around point O within the range between the seating position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) and the getting-on/off position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3). do. The rotation range of the seat body 2 is approximately 90°. Within the above rotation range of the seat body 2, the position where the front end of the seat body 2 comes closest to the vehicle component is defined as the closest position, as shown by the broken line in FIG. The closest position can be said to be the rotation angle of the seat body 2 at which the distance (indicated by A in the figure) between the front end of the seat body 2 and the vehicle component is the shortest within the rotation range of the seat body 2. The front end of the seat body 2 here means the center of the front edge 21f of the seat cushion 21 in the width direction. Further, the vehicle component that the front end of the seat body 2 approaches is typically a member that constitutes the front edge of the door opening 110, and in this example, it is the lower part of the front pillar 5. In this example, the position where the seat body 2 has rotated from the seating position to the range α is the closest position. Each of the seating position, the getting-on/off position, and the closest approach position is a state when the vehicle 10 is viewed from above.

(Second operating part)
The vehicle seat 1 includes a second operating section 32 that moves the seat body 2 toward or away from the ground G, as shown in FIG. The second operating portion 32 allows a close movement that brings the seat body 2 close to the ground G, and a separation movement that moves the seat body 2 away from the ground G. The second operating section 32 in this example is provided on the base 3. In this example, the second operating section 32 is installed on the first operating section 31 (rotation base), and the seat body 2 is installed on the second operating section 32.

The second operating section 32 of this example is configured to slide the seat body 2 along an inclined surface to raise and lower it. The second operating section 32 can utilize a known elevating and lowering slide device. Examples of the configuration of the second operating section 32 include a configuration including an inclined rail, an elevating slide base that is slidably supported along the inclined rail, and an elevating slide motor that drives the elevating slide base. . The seat body 2 is attached to an elevating slide base. With the above configuration, the elevating slide base (seat main body 2) slides along the inclined rail. The inclined rail is arranged on the rotating base of the first operating section 31 described above. The inclined rail is provided along the front-rear direction of the seat body 2 and is inclined downward toward the front. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the seat body 2 rotated to the outside of the vehicle is slid forward (toward the outside of the vehicle), the seat body 2 moves forward along the inclined rail and descends. In this case, the seat body 2 descends while sliding toward the outside of the vehicle, resulting in a close movement in which the seat body 2 approaches the ground G. On the other hand, when the seat body 2 is slid backward (inside the vehicle) from the forward state, the seat body 2 rises while retreating along the inclined rail. In this case, the seat body 2 rises while sliding toward the inside of the vehicle, so that the seat body 2 moves away from the ground G.

In this example, the second operating section 32 is capable of an up-and-down sliding operation in which the seat body 2 is raised and lowered while sliding along the inclined rail. The second operating section 32 may be configured to raise and lower the seat body 2 using an arm, and in this case, a known lifting device can be used.

The approaching motion and separating motion include not only the above-mentioned motion of raising and lowering the seat body 2, but also motions in which the feet of the occupant seated on the seat body 2 approach or move away from the ground. In this example, the second operating unit 32 is configured to raise and lower the seat body 2 while sliding it along the inclined rail, but it may also be configured to tilt at least one of the seat cushion 21 and the seat back 22, for example. . The action of tilting the seat surface of the seat cushion 21 forward is a proximity action because the feet of the seated occupant approach the ground G. Further, the action of tilting the seat back 22 forward also brings the feet of the seated occupant closer to the ground G, and can therefore be considered a proximity action. On the other hand, the operation of returning the inclination angle of the seat cushion 21 from the state where the seat surface of the seat cushion 21 is tilted forward to the original state is a separation operation because the feet of the seated occupant are separated from the ground G. Furthermore, the action of tilting the seatback 22 backward from the forward-leaning state and returning the inclination angle of the seatback 22 to its original position can also be considered a separation action because the feet of the seated occupant are separated from the ground G. .

(Third operating part)
Furthermore, the vehicle seat 1 of this example includes a third operating section 33 that slides the seat body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 10, as shown in FIG. The third operating section 33 allows the seat body 2 to slide back and forth. The third operating section 33 in this example is provided on the pedestal 3. In this example, the third operating section 33 is installed on the floor 101.

The third operating section 33 can utilize a known back and forth slide device. The configuration of the third operating unit 33 includes, for example, front and rear rails provided along the front and rear direction of the vehicle 10, front and rear slide bases that are slidably supported along the front and rear rails, and a drive unit that drives the front and rear slide bases. An example is a configuration including a front-rear sliding motor. The seat body 2 is attached to a slide base. The front and rear rails are attached to the floor 101. The rotation base of the first operating section 31 described above is arranged on the front-rear slide base. With the above configuration, the front and rear slide bases (seat main body 2) slide in the front and rear direction of the vehicle 10 along the front and rear rails.

(control unit)
The control unit 4 causes the first operating unit 31 to rotate the seat body 2, and the second operating unit 32 to move the seat body 2 toward and away from each other (elevating and sliding operations). Further, the control section 4 of this example causes the third operating section 33 to perform a back-and-forth sliding operation of the seat body 2. The control unit 4 includes a seat electronic control unit (ECU) that drives and controls a rotation motor, a vertical slide motor, and a front-rear slide motor. In this example, the control unit 4 is built into the pedestal 3. A controller 40 for operating the control section 4 is attached to the pedestal 3. The controller 40 is removable from the base 3. The controller 40 includes a storage switch 41 and an ingress/egress switch 42 . The storage switch 41 is a switch that moves the seat body 2 to the seating position (see FIG. 2). The getting on/off switch 42 is a switch that moves the seat body 2 to the getting on/off position (see FIG. 3). The controller 40 may be of a wireless type or a wired type. Further, the base 3 is provided with a longitudinal slide switch 43 that slides the seat body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 10.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, when the seat body 2 rotates within the range between the seating position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) and the getting-on/off position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 3), There is a closest position (indicated by a broken line in the figure) where the front end of the seat body 2 is closest to the vehicle component (front pillar 5). In this example, the closest position is determined by calculating in advance the rotation angle of the seat body 2 at which the front end of the seat body 2 comes closest to the vehicle component (front pillar 5), and the rotation angle is determined by the control unit 4. It is set. Therefore, when the seat body 2 rotates, the control unit 4 can determine whether the seat body 2 is closer to the seating position or the getting-on/off position than the closest position from the rotation angle of the seat body 2. Alternatively, the closest position may be determined by measuring the distance from the vehicle component (front pillar 5) each time the seat body 2 rotates. In this case, for example, a distance sensor or the like is attached to the front surface of the seat cushion 21 or the first operating section 31 to measure the distance to an object present in front. The rotation angle of the seat body 2 can be determined, for example, by detecting the rotation speed of the rotation motor of the first operating section 31 using an encoder or the like.

When executing the rotation operation of rotating the seat body 2 from the seating position to the getting-on/off position, the control unit 4 controls the proximity control while the seat body 2 rotates from the closest approach position to the getting-on/off position (in the range indicated by β in FIG. 3). perform an action. In other words, the rotation operation and the approach operation are performed simultaneously in the range β from the closest approach position to the getting-on/off position. In this example, as the approach operation, as shown in FIG. 4, by sliding the seat body 2 forward, the seat body 2 is lowered while sliding toward the outside of the vehicle. Furthermore, when executing the rotation operation of rotating the seat body 2 from the getting-on/off position to the seating position, the control unit 4 controls the seat body 2 while it rotates from the getting-on/off position to the closest approach position (in the range indicated by β in FIG. 3). Execute the separating operation. That is, in the range β from the getting-on/off position to the closest approach position, the rotation operation and the separating operation are performed in parallel. In this example, as the separation operation, the seat body 2 is slid rearward as shown in FIG. 4, thereby raising the seat body 2 while sliding it toward the inside of the vehicle.

Hereinafter, the operation of the seat body 2 in the vehicle seat 1 of this example will be specifically explained. First, an example of the operation when moving the seat body 2 from the seating position to the getting-on/off position will be described.

When the ingress/egress switch 42 of the controller 40 is turned on with the seat body 2 in the seating position, the information is transmitted from the controller 40 to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 starts an operation to move the seat body 2 to the ingress/egress position. do. The control unit 4 first operates the rotation motor of the first operating unit 31 to perform a rotation operation to orient the seat body 2 toward the door opening 110 (see FIG. 2). The rotational movement is continuously performed from the seating position to the getting-on/off position. In the case of this example, at the same time as the rotational movement of the seat body 2 is started, the seat body 2 is slid back and forth so that the position of the seat body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is located at the center of the door opening 110 in the longitudinal direction. I do. Specifically, the position of the seat body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is detected, and it is determined whether the position of the seat body 2 is within a predetermined range at the center of the door opening 110 in the longitudinal direction. When the position of the seat body 2 is outside the predetermined range, the longitudinal sliding motor of the third operating section 33 is operated to perform the longitudinal sliding motion of the seat body 2. When the position of the seat body 2 is within a predetermined range when the seat body 2 starts its rotational operation, only the rotational operation is performed without performing the longitudinal sliding operation. The position of the seat body 2 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be determined, for example, by detecting the rotational speed of the longitudinal sliding motor of the third operating section 33 using an encoder or the like. In this example, the rotation operation and the back-and-forth sliding operation are performed simultaneously. After the back and forth sliding motion is completed, the rotation motion may be started continuously. When performing the rotational movement and the longitudinal sliding movement at the same time, the longitudinal sliding movement is preferably completed while the seat body 2 is rotating from the seating position to the closest position (in the range indicated by α in FIG. 2). From the seating position to the closest approach position, only the rotational movement and the back-and-forth sliding movement are performed, and the approaching movement by the second operating section 32 is not performed.

After the seat body 2 passes the closest position, the control unit 4 performs the approaching operation while rotating from the closest position to the getting-on/off position (range indicated by β in FIG. 3) (see FIG. 3). In other words, the approach operation is not performed in the range α from the seating position to the closest approach position. The approach operation is preferably completed while the seat body 2 rotates from the closest approach position to the getting on/off position. In the case of this example, after the seat body 2 passes the closest position, the vertical sliding motor of the second operating section 32 is activated to perform the vertical sliding operation of sliding the seat body 2 forward and lowering it ( (See Figure 4). This elevating and lowering sliding operation is performed by determining whether or not the elevating and lowering slide base has reached the front end of the inclined rail, and ends when it reaches the front end of the inclined rail. When the seat body 2 rotates to the getting-on/off position by this lifting/lowering sliding operation, the seat body 2 is in a state of sliding from the door opening 110 toward the outside of the vehicle.

Next, an example of the operation when moving the seat body 2 from the getting-on/off position to the seating position will be described. The operation of returning the seat body 2 to the seating position is basically the opposite of the operation of moving the seat body 2 to the getting-on/off position described above.

When the storage switch 41 of the controller 40 is turned on while the seat body 2 is in the getting-on/off position, the information is transmitted from the controller 40 to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 starts moving the seat body 2 to the seating position. do. The control unit 4 performs a separation operation while the seat body 2 rotates from the getting-on/off position to the closest approach position (in the range indicated by β in FIG. 3) in parallel with the rotation operation to direct the seat body 2 toward the front of the vehicle. (See Figure 3). The rotation operation is continuously performed from the getting-on/off position to the seating position. The separating operation is preferably completed while the seat body 2 rotates from the getting-on/off position to the closest approach position. In this example, before the seat body 2 passes the closest position, an up/down slide operation is performed in which the seat body 2 is raised while sliding rearward (see FIG. 4). By this lifting/lowering sliding operation, the seat body 2 is pulled into the inside of the vehicle through the door opening 110. This elevating and lowering sliding operation is performed by determining whether or not the elevating and lowering slide base has reached the rear end of the inclined rail, and ends when it reaches the rear end of the inclined rail.

When the seat body 2 is rotated to the seating position, the seat body 2 is stored in the vehicle (see FIG. 2). After the seat body 2 passes through the closest position, the control unit 4 may perform the back-and-forth sliding operation while rotating from the closest position to the seating position (in the range indicated by α in FIG. 2). This back-and-forth sliding motion can be used to return the vehicle to a predetermined position that is preset in memory according to the physique of the occupant.

In the above-described operation example of the seat body 2, when the ingress/egress switch 42 is turned on and the seat body 2 is moved to the ingress/egress position, the control unit 4 positions the seat body 2 at the center of the door opening 110 in the longitudinal direction. The case where the seat body 2 is automatically slid back and forth has been described. The control may also be such that the seat body 2 does not automatically slide back and forth. Further, during the rotation operation of the seat body 2, the control may be such that the seat body 2 is allowed to slide back and forth by operating the front and rear slide switch 43, thereby allowing the front and rear slide operation to be executed. While the seat body 2 is rotating, the control may prohibit the front and rear sliding motion of the seat body 2 by operating the front and rear slide switch 43.

[Effect]
In the vehicle seat 1 of the first embodiment, when the seat body 2 rotates within the range between the seating position and the getting-on/off position, the vehicle seat 1 rotates in the range between the closest approach position and the getting-on/off position (indicated by β in FIG. 3). Execute an approach action or a separation action. Since the vehicle seat 1 executes the approaching motion or the separating motion during the rotation motion of the seat body 2, the operation time required for moving the seat body 2 can be shortened. Further, when the seat body 2 moves from the seating position to the getting-on/off position, the approach operation is performed after passing through the closest approach position. When the seat body 2 moves from the getting-on/off position to the seating position, a separating operation is performed before passing the closest position. Therefore, when the seat body 2 rotates, the occupant seated on the seat body 2 can be prevented from coming into contact with vehicle structural members.

Furthermore, since the vehicle seat 1 is simple to control and easy to use, it can be easily applied to small cars with limited leg space.

The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims. In the first embodiment, the case where the vehicle seat 1 is applied to the passenger seat is illustrated, but the vehicle seat 1 may be a driver's seat or a rear seat. When the vehicle seat 1 is applied to a rear seat, the vehicle component that the front end of the seat body 2 approaches most when the seat body 2 rotates is typically the center pillar. In the case of a pillarless car, it will be the rear end of the front door. In the first embodiment, a configuration is exemplified in which the seat body 2 is slid up and down in an oblique direction by the second operating portion 32, but a configuration in which the seat body 2 is moved in a horizontal direction and an up-down direction may be adopted.

1 Vehicle seat 2 Seat body 21 Seat cushion 21f Front edge 22 Seat back 23 Headrest 25 Reclining device 3 Base 31 First operating section 32 Second operating section 33 Third operating section 4 Control section 40 Controller 41 Storage switch 42 Getting on/off switch 43 Front/rear slide switch 5 Front pillar 10 Vehicle 101 Floor 11 Door 110 Door opening G Ground

Claims (1)

a first operation unit that rotates the seat body within a range of a seating position facing the front of the vehicle and an ingress/egress position facing the door opening side of the vehicle;
a second operating unit that moves the seat body closer to or away from the ground by raising and lowering the seat body;
a control unit that performs a rotation operation of the seat body by the first operation unit, and an approaching operation and a separation operation of the seat body by the second operation unit,
When the position where the front end of the seat body is closest to the lower part of the front pillar within the range in which the seat body rotates is defined as the closest position;
The control unit includes:
performing the approach operation only while the seat body rotates from the closest approach position to the getting on/off position;
A vehicle seat, wherein the separating operation is performed only while the seat body rotates from the getting on/off position to the closest approach position.

Images