JPH053076Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a lumbar support device for a seat used in a vehicle seat or the like.

[Conventional technology]

A lumbar support device (lumbar support) installed at the bottom of the backrest of an automobile seat supports the lumbar region of the occupant from inside the seat. A structure is adopted that allows the members to be moved in the front and rear directions.

Conventional devices of this kind are, for example,
As shown in Publication No. 115025, a rotatable cam is used to move the lumbar support member in the front-back direction, or an air bag is built into the lower part of the backrest, and an air pump and an air valve are used to inflate the air bag. By adjusting the degree of support, the state of the lumbar support section is changed.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

In conventional lumbar support devices using cams, the cam is rotated by hand by turning an operating lever connected to the cam, but the rotational position of the cam varies depending on the rotational position of the cam. The force changes and may be difficult to operate. Further, since there is a limit to the shape of the cam surface, it is not possible to make a large adjustment allowance for the lumbar support member. On the other hand, devices using air bags require additional equipment such as air valves and air pumps, making the structure of the device quite complex.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to be able to easily and steplessly adjust the position of the lumbar support member in the anteroposterior direction with a large adjustment margin compared to the conventional cam-type lumbar support device, and to have a relatively simple structure. The object of the present invention is to provide a simple lumbar support device.

[Means for solving problems]

The lumbar support device of the present invention includes a base fixed to the lower part of the seatback frame and extending in the left-right direction of the seat, and a lumbar support placed on the front side of the base, spaced apart from and facing the base, and extending in the left-right direction of the seat. a link mechanism that supports the lumbar support member so as to be able to move in parallel in the front-rear direction with respect to the base; and a link mechanism provided in a compressed state between the right half of the base and the right half of the lumbar support member. and a compressed state between a first compression coil spring that biases the right half of the lumbar support member in a direction to push the right half of the lumbar support member forward of the base, and the left half of the base and the left half of the lumbar support member. a second compression coil spring which is provided with a second compression coil spring and biases the left half of the lumbar support member in a direction to push the left half of the lumbar support member forward of the base; one end is attached to the base side and the other end is attached to the lumbar support member or the A friction lock mechanism attached to a link mechanism, which includes a cylinder, a rod inserted movably in the axial direction of the cylinder, and a lock wound between the inner surface of the cylinder and the outer surface of the rod. A braking member that prevents the rod from moving relative to the cylinder when the rod is wound, and allows movement of the rod when the rod is operated in the direction of loosening the winding, and a braking member that loosens the winding of the braking member around the rod. The lock mechanism is equipped with a cylinder-rod type friction lock mechanism that includes a lock release operation member that can be operated at the same time.

[Effect]

In the lumbar support device configured as described above, when the operating member is operated in the unlocking direction to free the friction lock mechanism, the lumbar support member supported by the link mechanism is in a state where it can be moved substantially in parallel in the front and back direction. Become. This lumbar support member is biased evenly forward on the left and right sides by a first compression coil spring and a second compression coil spring placed in parallel on the left and right, and only in the front-back direction by a link mechanism. Since it is movable, it is pushed forward while maintaining a stable posture even when the lock is released. Therefore, the occupant uses his or her lower back to push back the lumbar support member to a desired position while remaining seated, and then locks the friction locking mechanism again. In this way, the position of the lumbar support member can be freely determined within its movable range.

The above-mentioned lumbar support device combines a link mechanism with a cylinder-rod type friction lock mechanism that allows for a large amount of relative movement, so it not only allows a considerable amount of adjustment allowance for the lumbar support member, but also eliminates the need for adjusting the lumbar support member. Adjustable in stages. Moreover, since the operating force required to release the lock is constant regardless of the position of the lumbar support member, the operation can be performed easily.

〔Example〕

In the lumbar support device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a base 4 is fixed to a pair of left and right metal seat back frames 2 and 3. The base 4 is, for example, a press-molded product of a metal plate, and both ends of the base 4 are fixed to the seat back frames 2 and 3 by welding. The seat back frames 2, 3 are embedded in the backrest 5 of the seat as illustrated in FIG.

A support member 7 is fixed to one seat back frame 2 by welding or the like. This support member 7 is formed with a hole 8 through which an operating lever 41 (described later) is inserted. Further, a bracket 11 is attached to the support member 7 by a fixing member 10 such as a screw or a rivet.

Then, a link mechanism 13 is attached to the bracket 11.
A plate-shaped lumbar support member 14 is attached via the lumbar support member 14 . The link mechanism 13 includes a first link member 16 attached to the bracket 11 and a second link member 17 fixed to the first link member 16 by welding or the like. The first link member 16 is formed, for example, by bending a metal plate, and is pivotably mounted around a shaft 19. The second link member 17 is a metal rod bent into a substantially U-shape, and as shown in FIG.
A link member 17 is fixed in such a shape as to protrude diagonally. A distal end portion 17a of the second link member 17 is rotatably attached to a locking portion 20 formed on the lumbar support member 14.

The lumbar support member 14 is made of a metal plate, fiber-reinforced synthetic resin, or the like, and is arranged at the lower part of the backrest 5, as illustrated in FIG. A first compression coil spring 22 that biases the right half of the lumbar support member 14 and a second compression coil spring 22 that biases the left half of the lumbar support member 14 are provided between the lumbar support member 14 and the base 4. A coil spring 23 is provided. The springs 22 and 23 are
The lumbar support member 14 is urged forward (upward in FIG. 1).

In addition, a bracket 25 provided on the base 4
A cylinder rod type friction lock mechanism 26 is disposed between the first link member 16 and the connecting portion 16a of the first link member 16. The friction lock mechanism 26 includes a cylinder 27 and a round rod 28 inserted into the cylinder 27 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The base of the cylinder 27 is pivotally connected to the bracket 25 by a pin 30. Also,
The tip of the rod 28 is rotatably connected to the connecting portion 16a by a pin 31.

The rod 28 is inserted through the inside of the cylinder 27 over almost the entire length in the axial direction. And between the inner surface of the cylinder 27 and the outer surface of the rod 28,
A pair of braking members 33 and 34 in the form of coiled springs are wound. One end of each of the braking members 33 and 34 is locked to the cylinder 27 side, and the other end of each of the braking members 33 and 34 is locked to an operating member 36. The braking members 33 and 34 are tightly wound so that the inner diameter of the coil in the free state is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the rod 28.
Therefore, in the free state, the braking members 33 and 34 come into close contact with the outer surface of the rod 28, thereby preventing relative movement of the rod 28 with respect to the cylinder 27. Furthermore, when the braking members 33 and 34 are twisted in the unwinding direction (in the direction of expanding the coil diameter), the tightening on the rod 28 loosens, and the rod 2
8 can move in the axial direction. The operating member 36 allows the braking members 33 and 34 to be operated in the unwinding direction, that is, in the direction of widening the inner diameter of the coil.

The operating member 36 is remotely controlled by an operating lever 41 via a control cable 40.
The operating lever 41 is attached to the bracket 11 and is rotatable about a shaft 42.

The control cable 40 consists of an outer tube 40a and an inner wire (not shown) that passes through the outer tube 40a, like the well-known Bowden wire. One end side of the inner wire is the operating member 36
The other end is connected to the end of the operating lever 41. One end of the outer tube 40a is supported by a member 44 (see FIG. 3) provided on the cylinder 27, and the other end is supported by a member 45 provided on the bracket 11.

In the lumbar support device 1 having the above configuration, when the operating lever 41 is rotated in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. Move in the direction of loosening the winding of 34. Therefore, the rod 28 becomes freely movable in the axial direction with respect to the cylinder 27, and is in the unlocked state.

Since the lumbar support member 14 is always urged forward by the springs 22 and 23, the friction lock mechanism 2
When the lock of 6 is released, it tries to move forward. For example, assume that the lumbar support member 14 moves from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 to the position shown by the imaginary line. In this case, as the lumbar support member 14 moves, the link mechanism 13 rotates around the shaft 19 in the clockwise direction in the figure, and the friction lock mechanism 26 also rotates around the pins 30 and 31. As a result, the relative position of the rod 28 and cylinder 27 also changes.

With the friction lock mechanism 26 free in this manner, the seated person presses the lumbar support member 14 with their lumbar region, adjusts the longitudinal position of the lumbar support member 14 to a desired position, and then operates the seat. The lever 41 is released to return the friction lock mechanism 26 to the locked state. When the friction lock mechanism 26 is thus locked, the link mechanism 13 is fixed and the position of the lumbar support member 14 is determined. The lumbar support member 14 includes a rod-shaped second link member 17 and a spring 2.
Since it is elastically supported by 2 and 23,
Even when locked, it can flex to some extent in the front and rear directions.

As described above, by moving the lumbar support member 14 with the friction lock mechanism 26 free, the longitudinal position of the lumbar support member 14 can be freely adjusted steplessly. Since the cylinder-rod type friction lock mechanism 26 allows the rod 28 to move in a wide range relative to the cylinder 27, the lumbar support member 14 can be adjusted to a large extent. Moreover, the force required to operate the operating lever 41 in the unlocking direction is determined by the position of the rod 28, that is, the lumbar support member 14.
It is easy to operate because it is always constant regardless of its position.

In addition, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a friction lock mechanism 26 is provided between the lumbar support member 14 and the base 4, and
A lumbar support member 14 is supported by a link mechanism 13. The friction lock mechanism 26 is pivotally connected to the base 4 and the lumbar support member 14 by pins 30 and 31 so as to be able to swing relative to the base 4 and the lumbar support member 14. Since the other configurations and effects are the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiment, common parts are given the same reference numerals and explanations will be omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the lumbar support member 14 is supported by a pantograph-like link mechanism 13' and a friction lock mechanism 26.

Alternatively, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the lumbar support member 14 may be supported by a parallel link mechanism 13''. In this case, the friction lock mechanism 2
6 is provided between a bracket 50 provided on the base 4 and a part 51 of the parallel link mechanism 13''.The parallel link mechanism 13'' is fixed when the friction lock mechanism 26 is locked. It's getting old. When the friction lock mechanism 26 is unlocked, the link mechanism 13'' is extended by the repulsive force of the springs 22 and 23, and the lumbar support member 14 moves forward (upward in the drawing).Other structures are as described above. The same applies to the example described above.

[Effect of idea]

According to the present invention, although the structure is relatively simple, the position of the lumbar support member can be adjusted steplessly to the optimal position for each occupant using the lower back while the occupant is in a seated posture. can. Even if the lumbar support member of the present invention is unlocked during adjustment, it remains movable in the front-back direction while maintaining a stable posture due to the elasticity of the pair of left and right compression coil springs and the support provided by the link mechanism. The position of the lumbar support member can be adjusted accurately and easily, and a large adjustment margin can be obtained. Further, since the operating force is constant regardless of the position of the lumbar support member, it is easy to operate.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lumbar support device, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the lumbar support device, FIG. 3 is a front view, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of a seat equipped with a lumbar support device, and FIGS. 5 to 7 are bottom views of the lumbar support device, respectively, showing different embodiments of the present invention. 1... Lumbar support device, 2, 3... Seat back frame, 4... Base, 13, 13', 1
3″...link mechanism, 14...lumbar support member, 2
2, 23... Spring, 26... Friction lock mechanism, 2
7...Cylinder, 28...Rod, 33, 34...
...Brake member, 36...Operation member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A base fixed to the lower part of the seatback frame and extending in the left-right direction of the seat, and a lumbar support member disposed on the front side of the base, facing away from the base, and extending in the left-right direction of the seat. a link mechanism that supports the lumbar support member so as to be able to move in parallel in the front-rear direction with respect to the base; and a link mechanism provided in a compressed state between the right half of the base and the right half of the lumbar support member; a first compression coil spring that biases the right half of the lumbar support member in a direction to push the right half of the lumbar support member forward of the base; and a compressed coil spring that is compressed between the left half of the base and the left half of the lumbar support member; a second compression coil spring that is provided and biases the left half of the lumbar support member in a direction to push the left half of the lumbar support member forward of the base; one end is attached to the base side, and the other end is attached to the lumbar support member or the link; A friction lock mechanism attached to the mechanism, comprising a cylinder, a rod inserted movably in the axial direction of the cylinder, and a lock wound around the rod between the inner surface of the cylinder and the outer surface of the rod. A braking member that prevents the rod from moving relative to the cylinder when the rod is attached to the rod, and allows the rod to move when the rod is operated in the direction of loosening the winding; A lumbar support device for a seat, comprising: a cylinder-rod type friction lock mechanism having an operable unlocking operation member; and a lumbar support device for a seat.