Vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12049161-B2
Application number	US-202017788918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2019
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle seat configured such that a relatively smaller space is formed under a seat cushion when the seat cushion is tilted frontward. A vehicle seat comprises a rail device including lower and upper rails; a seat cushion; a seat back; and a hinge device with a rotation axis for rotatably connecting the upper rail and the seat cushion at their front parts; and a coupling device for detachably connecting the seat cushion and the upper rail at their rear parts. A seat cushion frame of the seat cushion includes side members, front and rear members, and a submarining prevention member located rearward of the front member, extending in a crosswise direction, and coupled to the side members. The rotation axis is located rearward of a central axis of the submarining prevention member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:
a seat body including a seat cushion for supporting buttocks of a passenger, and a seat back extending upward from a rear part of the seat cushion; and
at least one mechanical structure, each mechanical structure comprising:
a rail device provided on a floor, the rail device including a lower rail extending in a lengthwise direction, the lengthwise direction being a front-rear direction of a vehicle, and an upper rail supported by the lower rail;
a hinge device for rotatably connecting a front part of the upper rail and a front part of the seat cushion, the hinge device having a rotation axis which extends in a crosswise direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction; and
a coupling device for detachably connecting the rear part of the seat cushion and a rear part of the upper rail,

wherein the seat cushion is provided with a seat cushion frame, the seat cushion frame comprising:
left and right side members extending in the lengthwise direction;
a front member extending in the crosswise direction and coupled to respective front end portions of the left and right side members;

a rear member extending in the crosswise direction and coupled to respective rear end portions of the left and right side members; and
a submarining prevention member located rearward of the front end of the front member, extending in the crosswise direction, and coupled to the left and right side members, and

wherein the rotation axis of the hinge device is located rearward of a central axis of the submarining prevention member.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the submarining prevention member is a cylindrical pipe.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the submarining prevention member is located rearward of the rear end of the front member.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis is located frontward of the rear end of the submarining prevention member.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation axis extends above the upper rail and is located at the same position along the lengthwise direction as or rearward of the front end of the upper rail.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the seat cushion includes a pad supported by the seat cushion frame and a skin material configured to cover the pad,
wherein the seat cushion frame is provided with a skin material supporter which extends downward from at least one of the left and right side members and can secure an edge portion of the skin material in place, and
wherein the rotation axis is located on the same level or above the lower end of the skin material supporter.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 6 , wherein the rotation axis is located below the lower ends of the left and right side members.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein each mechanical structure further comprises a mounting member, the mounting member having a rear end portion coupled to the front end of the lower rail, and a front end portion located frontward of the front end of the lower rail and coupled to the floor,
wherein, when the upper rail is located its frontmost position relative to the lower rail, the rotation axis is located rearward of the front end of the mounting member.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 8 , wherein the mounting member is provided with a fastening portion to be fastened to the floor, and
wherein, when the upper rail is located its frontmost position relative to the lower rail, the rotation axis is located rearward of the fastening portion.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the coupling device includes: a striker provided on one of the upper rail and the seat cushion frame; and a locking device provided on the other of the upper rail and the seat cushion frame and configured to detachably lock the striker, and
wherein the rotation axis is located above the upper end of the locking device.

11. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle seat comprises at least two of the mechanical structures, and wherein, for each mechanical structure, the hinge device comprises:
a first member to be connected to the upper rail;
a shaft supported by the first member and extending in the crosswise direction;
a second member rotatably supported by the shaft and coupled to a corresponding one of the left and right side members,
a first restriction portion provided on one of the first member and the second member; and
a second restriction portion provided on the other of the first member and the second member so that the second restriction portion can abut the first restriction portion to thereby restrict the relative rotation of the second member to the first member, defining a relative rotation range.

12. The vehicle seat according to claim 11 , wherein the first member has a greater width measured in the crosswise direction than the lower rail and protrudes more inward than the lower rail.

13. The vehicle seat according to claim 11 , wherein the first member comprises a first base portion coupled to the upper rail, and left and right side first wall portions extending upward from the first base portion and spaced apart from each other in the crosswise direction,
wherein the second member comprises a second base portion coupled to a corresponding one of the left and right side members, and left and right side second wall portions extending downward from the second base portion and spaced apart from each other in the crosswise direction,
wherein the left and right first side wall portions are located between the left and right second side wall portions in the crosswise direction, and
wherein the shaft extends in the crosswise direction through the left and right first side wall portions and through the left and right second side wall portions.

14. The vehicle seat according to claim 11 , wherein each mechanical structure is provided with an urging device configured to be telescopically expandable along a straight line, the urging device having a first end coupled to the first member and a second end coupled to the rear end of a corresponding one of the left and right side members, and wherein the urging device tends to expand, providing an urging force.

15. The vehicle seat according to claim 14 , wherein the first member extends out frontward of the rotation axis, and wherein the first end of the urging device is located frontward of the rotation axis.

16. The vehicle seat according to claim 15 , wherein, when the seat body is in a frontward tilted position in which the seat body is tilted frontward about the rotation axis, the rotation axis is on a straight line connecting the first end and the second end as viewed in the crosswise direction.

Assignees

• Ts Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tachikawa Yoichi
• Meguro Tsukasa

Classifications

• B60N2/12

  slidable and tiltable · CPC title

• B60N2/4263 Primary

  with anti-submarining systems · CPC title

• B60N2/01583

  locking on transversal elements on the vehicle floor or rail, e.g. transversal rods · CPC title

• B60N2/305 Primary

  the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame · CPC title