JPH0215706Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an improvement of a thigh support device used to improve the comfort of a seated person in a seat.

(Prior art) For example, in the case of vehicle seats, etc., they hold occupants stably while the car is running, provide appropriate sitting comfort, and reduce fatigue even when seated for long periods of time. It is generally desired to be able to reduce this as much as possible. It is also desired that this type of seat be configured such that the cushioning and holding properties can be changed depending on the body shape and preference of the person sitting on the seat. In order to satisfy such demands, various thigh support devices are attached to each part of the seat. The most commonly known type of support device is the lumbar support that supports the lower back of the seated person, but there are also other types of support devices, such as seat backs and seat cushions that can be expanded on both sides to provide a secure hold. Thigh supports that support the seated person from below, and thigh supports that support the thighs of a seated person from below to maintain an appropriate driving posture are known.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, in the various support devices described above, the thigh support has conventionally been supported rotatably or horizontally at the front end of the seat cushion, and is supported above the seat. Alternatively, by moving the seat forward, the effect of holding the seated person in place can be exerted, but in this case, some problems arise.

In other words, if the thigh support is simply rotated or moved to the front of the seat as described above, the position of the knees will become higher, and there is a risk that the driver will collide with the handlebar, etc., making it difficult to drive. This resulted in drawbacks such as the driver feeling cramped and being unable to maintain an appropriate and stable driving position. This problem is particularly noticeable when a large person is seated on the seat or when a lifter mechanism or the like for swinging the seat cushion is installed in parallel with the seat.

In addition, as mentioned above, when a large person sits on a seat, there is a problem that the seat cushion is too small. This problem cannot be solved by means such as a depth adjustment mechanism such as the above-mentioned depth adjustment mechanism, and it also causes the same problem as mentioned above when the foot hits the steering wheel. It is necessary to take measures.

(Means for solving the problem) In order to meet such demands, the seat thigh support device according to the present invention has a thigh support body movably disposed at the front end of the seat cushion. The slide mechanism is supported via a slide mechanism that is curved so as to curve downward toward the slider, and is also provided with a lock mechanism that locks and fixes the slide mechanism in a predetermined position.

(Function) According to the present invention, the thigh support body can be curved and lowered at the front end of the seat cushion by the curved slide mechanism, and by adjusting the movement position, it can be easily adapted to the preference and physique of the seated person. and can be dealt with appropriately.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail using an example shown in the drawings.

Figures 1 to 3 show an embodiment in which the seat thigh support device according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle seat. As is clear from FIG. 3, it is comprised of a seat cushion 2, a seat back 4 rockably supported by a reclining mechanism 3 at its rear end, and a head rest 5 attached to its upper end. A thigh support body 10 that holds the thighs and knees of the seated person M as necessary is provided at the front end of the seat cushion 2 so as to be movable and adjustable. In FIG. 1, 6 is a seat cushion frame constituting the seat cushion 2, 7 is a seat cushion spring attached to this frame 6, and 8 is a side support frame provided on both sides of this seat cushion 2. . Further, in FIG. 2, 2A and 10A are cushion bodies made of pad materials or the like that constitute the seat cushion 2 and the thigh support body 10, respectively.

According to the present invention, the thigh support body 10 is movably disposed at the front end of the seat cushion 2 as a thigh support device for the seat 1 described above.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, sheet 1
The device is supported via a pair of left and right slide mechanisms 11 which are curved so as to curve downward toward the front, and is provided with a lock mechanism 12 which locks and fixes these slide mechanisms 11 in a predetermined position. It has the following characteristics.

To explain this in detail, the slide mechanism 11 is
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fixed rail 13 is fixed to the front end of the seat cushion frame 6 via a spacer 13a, etc., and has a curved and inclined shape toward the front of the seat. Movable side rail 1 slidably fitted on side rail 13
4, and the movable side rail 14 has a rack tooth 15 with which a pinion 21 provided on the shaft 20 on the lock mechanism 12 side, which will be described later, meshes with the movable side rail 14.
A rack 15 having a diameter is fixedly mounted. The shaft 20 described above is rotatably supported between side support frames 8, 8 on both sides of the seat cushion frame 6, and has a lock mechanism 12 attached to one end thereof.

Here, the locking mechanism 12 that can adjust the movement of the above-mentioned thigh support body 10 by a simple rotation operation and maintain a secure locked state at the desired adjustment position is illustrated in FIG. It is best to use a ratchet structure like this.

To explain this simply, in the figure, 22 is a pinion fixed to one side of the seat cushion frame 6, 23a and 23b are latch pawls biased by a spring 24 in the direction of meshing with the pinion; 25 and 26 are these latch claws 23a and 23
A pair of mounting plates rotatably support the shaft 20 through pins 27a and 27b, and the outer mounting plate 26 has a lock release plate 2 fixed on the shaft 20.
A circular arc groove 26a into which a release claw 28a of No. 8 engages is formed, and the release claw 28a engages the latch claw 23.
The configuration is such that the meshing state of the pinions a and 23b with respect to the pinion 22 can be released. In addition, 2 in the figure
Reference numeral 9 denotes an operation knob that is fitted and fixed onto a gear cover 29a fixed to the outer end of the shaft 20.

The lock mechanism 12 with such a configuration
According to the invention, the shaft 20 having the pinion 21 that meshes with the rack 15 on the side of the thigh support body 10 described above can be rotated freely in both directions with fine adjustment by a simple rotation operation, and can be rotated as desired. The shaft 20 can be brought into a locked state at the adjusted position.

Therefore, in the thigh support body 10 having the above configuration, the pinion 21 and the rack 15 can be rotated by manually rotating the lock mechanism 12 described above to release the locked state of the shaft 20 and rotate it in a desired direction. As shown by the arrows in FIGS. 2 and 3, the entire thigh support body 10 is
It can be slid to curve and descend toward the front of the seat 1, thereby making it possible to adjust the movement of the thigh support body 10 according to the preference and physique of the seated person.

According to the above-described configuration, the thigh support body 10 can be curved downward and extended in front of the seat, and the seat cushion 2 including the thigh support body 10 can be adjusted to the shape of the legs of the seated person. ) to provide a comfortable seating position, and the overall length of the seat can be lengthened, so even if a large person is sitting on the seat, if their knees hit the handlebars, they will be able to sit comfortably. This makes it possible to obtain an appropriate and stable seating condition without causing any problems. Here, the above-mentioned thigh support body 10 and seat cushion 2
As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to connect the skins with a bellows-like member 30, but it goes without saying that they may be constructed separately.

Further, the above-described configuration has advantages such as a simple overall structure, a small number of component parts, excellent ease of assembly, and excellent operational reliability.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the structure of the embodiment described above, and the shape and structure of each part may be modified and changed as necessary. For example, the structure and shape of the slide mechanism 11 may be modified as shown in FIG. This shows the case where a rhino support frame is configured, but is not limited to this.
Various modifications are possible. Furthermore, it is easily understood that the locking mechanism 12 that allows the above-mentioned thigh support body 10 to be freely adjusted in movement may have various structures.

Furthermore, it will be clear that the thigh support device for a seat according to the present invention is not limited to the thigh support device for a vehicle seat in the embodiments described above.

(Effect of the invention) As explained above, according to the seat thigh support device according to the present invention, the thigh support body movably disposed at the front end of the seat cushion is curved toward the front of the seat. It is supported through a slide mechanism that is curved so that it descends, and is also provided with a lock mechanism that locks and fixes this slide mechanism in a predetermined position, so it has a simple and inexpensive structure. The support body can be freely moved and adjusted according to the needs of the seated person, such as his or her preferences and physique, and has various practical effects such as being able to obtain a stable and comfortable sitting condition.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the seat thigh support device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining its operating state, and Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the entire seat. , FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1... Seat, 2... Seat cushion, 6... Seat cushion frame, 10...
Thigh support body, 11...Slide mechanism, 12...
...Lock mechanism, 13...Fixed side rail, 14...
Movable side rail.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A thigh support body is movably disposed at the front end of the seat cushion, and this thigh support body is supported via a slide mechanism that is curved to curve downward toward the front of the seat. A thigh support device for a seat, characterized in that a locking mechanism is provided for locking and fixing the slide mechanism at a predetermined position.