Vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9428087-B2
Application number	US-201113995757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2011
Priority date	Dec 24, 2010
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle seat comprises a seat bottom frame 2 as a frame of a seat bottom allowing an occupant to sit thereon, and a seat back frame 1 supported by the seat bottom frame 2 . The seat back frame 1 includes right and left side frames SF laterally spaced apart from each other, and a lower connecting member 30 disposed and extending between lower portions of the right and left side frames SF and configured to connect the right and left side frames SF, and the lower connecting member 30 includes a rear wall portion connected to and supported by the side frames SF, and a front wall portion 31 disposed frontward of the rear wall portion and extending downward from an upper end of the rear wall portion, and a front surface 31 A of the front wall portion 31 has an upper portion and a lower portion which is located frontward of the upper portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:
a seat bottom frame as a frame of a seat bottom allowing an occupant to sit thereon, and a seat back frame supported by the seat bottom frame,
wherein the seat back frame includes right and left side frames laterally spaced apart from each other, and a lower connecting member disposed and extending between lower portions of the right and left side frames and configured to connect the right and left side frames to each other, each of the lower portions of the right and left side frames having a side wall portion and an inner extension configured to extend inward from a rear end of the side wall portion, said lower connecting member being a single unitary sheet of bent metal, and
wherein the lower connecting member includes:
a rear wall portion connected to and supported by the side frames, the rear wall portion including an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being downward from the upper end,
a front wall portion disposed frontward of the rear wall portion, the front wall portion extending downward from the upper end of the rear wall portion,
a front surface of the front wall portion has an upper portion and a lower portion which is located frontward of the upper portion,
the rear wall portion being located forward of the inner extensions in contact with a front surface of the inner extensions and fixed to the inner extensions, and
the front wall portion having a lower end spaced apart from the rear wall portion to form a free end, the free end being not directly connected to the rear wall portion, and the free end being not directly connected to the inner extension.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the front wall portion extends downward beyond the rear wall portion.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the front wall portion is tilted such that the front surface thereof faces obliquely upward with respect to the rear wall portion.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , further comprising an upper wall portion connecting the rear wall portion and the front wall portion, wherein the upper wall portion is shaped like a flat plate extending substantially in a front-rear direction.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the seat back frame is rotatably supported by the seat bottom frame through a reclining mechanism,
wherein the reclining mechanism includes a shaft configured to connect the right and left side frames to each other and disposed at a position on a rotation axis between the seat bottom frame and the seat back frame, and
wherein the front wall portion is disposed in front of the shaft.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 ,
wherein an inner end of the inner extension has a slanted edge portion which is slanted with respect to a vertical direction, and the rear wall portion is welded to the inner extension along the slanted edge portion.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 6 , wherein the slanted edge portion is slanted with respect to the vertical direction at an angle equal to or greater than 20 degrees.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressure-receiving member disposed between the right and left side frames and movable in a rearward direction, a connecting wire configured to connect the pressure-receiving member to the side frames, and rotatable members which are rotatably supported by the right and left side frames and to which the connecting wire is connected, wherein a rotation axis of each rotatable member is located rearward of the lower connecting member.

9. A vehicle seat, comprising:
a seat bottom frame as a frame of a seat bottom allowing an occupant to sit thereon, and a seat back frame supported by the seat bottom frame,
wherein the seat back frame includes right and left side frames laterally spaced apart from each other, and a lower connecting member disposed and extending between lower portions of the right and left side frames and configured to connect the right and left side frames to each other, and
wherein the lower connecting member includes:
a rear wall portion connected to and supported by the side frames,
a front wall portion disposed frontward of the rear wall portion and extending downward from an upper end of the rear wall portion, and
a front surface of the front wall portion has an upper portion and a lower portion which is located frontward of the upper portion,

wherein each of the lower portions of the right and left side frames has a side wall portion and an inner extension configured to extend inward from a rear end of the side wall portion,
wherein the rear wall portion of the lower connecting member is fixed to each of the inner extensions, and each inner extension has an attachment hole through which a fixing member for fixing a fixed part is inserted, and
wherein the rear wall portion has relieves each provided at a position corresponding to the attachment hole to avoid interference with the fixing member.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 9 , wherein the relieves are recess portions.

11. The vehicle seat according to claim 9 , wherein the relieves are through-openings.

12. A vehicle seat, comprising:
a seat bottom frame as a frame of a seat bottom allowing an occupant to sit thereon, and a seat back frame rotatably supported by the seat bottom frame through a reclining mechanism,
wherein the seat back frame includes right and left side frames laterally spaced apart from each other, and a lower connecting member disposed and extending between lower portions of the right and left side frames and configured to connect the right and left side frames to each other, each of the lower portions of the right and left side frames having a side wall portion and an inner extension configured to extend inward from a rear end of the side wall portion, said lower connecting member having a front wall portion and a rear wall portion all part of a single unitary sheet of bent metal,
wherein the reclining mechanism includes a shaft configured to connect the right and left side frames to each other and disposed at a position on a rotation axis between the seat bottom frame and the seat back frame,
wherein the rear wall portion of the lower connecting member includes an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being downward from the upper end,
wherein the front wall portion is disposed frontward of the rear wall portion, the front wall portion extending downward from the upper end of the rear wall portion, and
wherein the front wall portion is disposed in front of the shaft, and a front surface of the front wall portion has an upper portion and a lower portion which is located frontward of the upper portion, wherein the lower portion springs back to allow the unitary sheet to absorb a longitudinal force such that the longitudinal force does not directly act on the shaft, the front wall portion having a lower end spaced apart from the rear wall portion to form a free end, the free end being not directly connected to the rear wall portion, and the free end being not directly connected to the inner extenstion.

13. The vehicle seat according to claim 12 , wherein the rear wall portion is disposed rearward of the front wall portion and extending downward from the front wall portion, wherein the rear wall portion is connected to the side frames.

Assignees

• Adachi Takamasa
• Fujita Satoshi
• Niitsuma Kenichi
• Ts Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Adachi Takamasa
• Fujita Satoshi
• Niitsuma Kenichi

Classifications

• B60N2/64

  Back-rests {or cushions (B60N2/2222 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60N2/68

  Seat frames · CPC title

• B60N2/42745

  of the back-rest (B60N2/433 takes precedence; higher part of the back-rest moving together with the headrest B60N2/888) · CPC title

• B60N2/42709

  involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure · CPC title

• B60N2/4228 Primary

  due to impact coming from the rear · CPC title