Vehicle seat structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11148562-B2
Application number	US-201916755597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2019
Priority date	Sep 27, 2018
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle seat structure includes a vehicle seat including a seat cushion configured to support an occupant, an upper rail that is fixed to the vehicle seat and that moves in a seat front-rear direction together with the vehicle seat, and a lower rail that is fixed to a floor of a vehicle body and that engages with the upper rail and supports the upper rail so as to allow movement of the upper rail. The vehicle seat structure includes a lock mechanism configured to restrict movement of the upper rail with respect to the lower rail. The lock mechanism is configured such that at least part of the lock mechanism deforms when a force toward the seat front side arising due to inertia acts on the vehicle seat in a state in which the upper rail is engaged with a seat rear side portion of the lower rail.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat structure, comprising:
a vehicle seat including a seat cushion configured to support buttocks and thighs of an occupant;
a movable member that is fixed to the vehicle seat and that moves in a seat front-rear direction together with the vehicle seat;
a fixed member that is fixed to a floor of a vehicle body and that engages with the movable member and supports the movable member so as to allow movement of the movable member in the seat front-rear direction; and
a lock mechanism configured to restrict movement of the movable member with respect to the fixed member, and also configured so as to permit movement of the movable member toward a seat front side with respect to the fixed member by at least part of the lock mechanism deforming when a force toward the seat front side, arising due to inertia, acts on the vehicle seat in conjunction with a collision in a state in which the movable member is engaged with a seat rear side portion of the fixed member;
the lock mechanism including a plurality of engagement portions provided at the fixed member so as to be disposed at intervals along the seat front-rear direction, and including an engaging portion provided at the movable member and configured to engage with respective engagement portions;
movement of the movable member in the seat front-rear direction with respect to the fixed member being permitted in a state in which the engaging portion is not engaged with the engagement portions;
movement of the movable member in the seat front-rear direction with respect to the fixed member being restricted in a state in which the engaging portion is engaged with the engagement portions; and
a strength of peripheral edge portions of a plurality of the engagement portions disposed toward the seat rear side being lower than a strength of peripheral edge portions of a plurality of the engagement portions disposed further toward the seat front side than the plurality of seat rear side engagement portions.

2. The vehicle seat structure of claim 1 , wherein:
the fixed member is a lower rail that is formed in an elongated shape with a length direction along a vehicle front-rear direction and that has a cross-section profile open toward a vehicle upper side as viewed from a vehicle front side, the lower rail including:
a bottom wall extending along front-rear and left-right directions,
a right upright wall and a left upright wall that are respectively bent so as to extend upward from left and right direction end portions of the bottom wall,
a right upper wall and a left upper wall that are respectively bent so as to extend to the left or right from upper end portions of the right upright wall and the left upright wall, and
a right inner wall and a left inner wall that are respectively bent so as to extend downward from a left side end portion of the right upper wall and a right side end portion of the left upper wall;

the fixed member is formed with a plurality of downward-opening recesses in the right inner wall and the left inner wall, with front edges of each of the plurality of recesses sloping forward on progression downward and rear edges of each of the plurality of recesses sloping rearward on progression downward, such that a shape formed by linking together the front edge, the rear edge, a bottom, and an open end, of each of the recesses is an isosceles trapezoid shape;
of the plurality of recesses, a forward-opening notch is formed at a boundary between the rear edge and the bottom of each recess configuring a plurality of the recesses at a seat rear side portion;
the movable member provided with the engaging portion is configured by an upper rail disposed in an inner portion of the lower rail; and
a strength of peripheral edge portions of the plurality of the recesses disposed at the seat rear side is lower than a strength of peripheral edge portions of a plurality of the recesses disposed further toward the seat front side than the plurality of seat rear side recesses, due to the engaging portion engaging with one of the recesses and a peripheral edge portion of the recess being deformable about the bottom of the notch when the engaging portion engaged with the recess presses the peripheral edge portion of the recess forward.

3. A vehicle seat structure, comprising:
a vehicle seat including a seat cushion configured to support buttocks and thighs of an occupant;
a movable member that is fixed to the vehicle seat and that moves in a seat front-rear direction together with the vehicle seat;
a fixed member that is fixed to a floor of a vehicle body and that engages with the movable member and supports the movable member so as to allow movement of the movable member in the seat front-rear direction; and
a lock mechanism configured to restrict movement of the movable member with respect to the fixed member, and also configured so as to permit movement of the movable member toward a seat front side with respect to the fixed member by at least part of the lock mechanism deforming when a force toward the seat front side, arising due to inertia, acts on the vehicle seat in conjunction with a collision in a state in which the movable member is engaged with a seat rear side portion of the fixed member,
the lock mechanism including a first threaded member that includes a first screw thread and is moved in the seat front-rear direction together with the movable member, and a second threaded member including a second screw thread interlocking with the first screw thread,
the first threaded member being moved in the seat front-rear direction along the second threaded member and the movable member being moved in the seat front-rear direction with respect to the fixed member by rotation of the first threaded member,
movement of the first threaded member with respect to the second threaded member being restricted and movement of the movable member in the seat front-rear direction with respect to the fixed member being restricted in a state in which rotation of the first threaded member has stopped, and
a height of the second screw thread at a seat rear side portion being lower than a height of the second screw thread further toward the seat front side than the seat rear side portion of the second screw thread.

4. The vehicle seat structure of claim 3 , wherein:
the lock mechanism comprises a power seat mechanism having a motor as a drive source,
the power seat mechanism includes:
a worm gear configured to be rotated by the motor,
a drive nut serving as the first threaded member and rotated by the worm gear, and including an inner peripheral portion formed with an inner tooth serving as the first screw thread, and
a screw shaft serving as the second threaded member and including an outer peripheral portion formed with an outer tooth serving as the second screw thread that interlocks with the inner tooth, and

a height of the outer tooth at a seat rear side portion is lower than a height of the outer tooth further toward the seat front side than the seat rear side portion so as to enable deformation of the outer tooth at the seat rear side portion by the drive nut and thereby permit movement of the movable member toward the seat front side with respect to the fixed member when the force toward the seat front side, arising due to inertia, acts on the vehicle seat in conjunction with a collision in a state in which the inner tooth and the outer tooth are interlocked with each other.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Toyota Boshoku Kk

Inventors

• Kondo Keiichi
• Yamada Katsunori
• Suzuki Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B60N2/08

  characterised by the locking device · CPC title

• B60N2/42727 Primary

  involving substantially rigid displacement · CPC title

• B60N2/0722

  Constructive details · CPC title

• B60N2/4249 Primary

  fixed structures, i.e. where neither the seat nor a part thereof are displaced during a crash · CPC title

• B60N2/067

  by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms · CPC title