Vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9987960-B2
Application number	US-201415108473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 24, 2014
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

[Purpose] To provide a vehicle seat having a garnish attached thereto, which is simplified in structure for easy secure attachment of the garnish to a seat cushion of the seat, and also highly improved as to outer appearance quality of the seat cushion.
[Means for Achieving the Purpose] A vehicle seat of the present invention includes: a frame 4 formed from a sheet metal, the frame standing upright in a vertical direction thereof; a garnish 1 engaged with and fitted to the frame 4 so as to cover an outer peripheral surface of that frame; a cushion element 3 supported by the frame 4 ; and a trim cover element 2 covering the cushion element 3 . In this vehicle seat, a terminal end portion 20 of the trim cover element 2 is fixedly secured to an outer surface of the garnish 1.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat comprising:
a frame formed from a sheet metal, said frame having:
an inner lateral surface facing an inward side of the frame;
an outer lateral surface opposite to said inner lateral surface, said outer lateral surface facing an outward side of the frame, said outward side facing a lateral side of the vehicle seat;
said outer lateral surface having a predetermined shape as viewed in plan; and
a peripheral end defined integral with and peripheral of the frame, said peripheral end facing said outward side of said frame;

a cushion element supported by said frame;
a trim cover element covering said cushion element, said trim cover element including an end portion;
a garnish configured to cover an entirety of said outer lateral surface of said frame and an entirety of said peripheral end of said frame, said garnish being formed of a soft resin material having a resilient deformability and a resilient recovery to an original shape thereof, said soft resin material being amenable to sewing;
said end of said trim cover element being sewn to said garnish;
said garnish including:
a body having:
an outer surface portion adapted to face said lateral side of said vehicle seat; and
an inner surface portion opposite to said outer surface portion, said inner surface portion facing an inward side of said body and being adapted to overlie said outer lateral surface of said frame;

said body having a predetermined shape as viewed in plan, said pre-determined shape being substantially equal to said predetermined shape of said outer lateral surface of said frame, whereupon said outer and inner surface portions of the body are substantially equal in shape to said outer lateral surface of said frame, thereby allowing both said outer and inner surface portions to be resiliently deformed and recovered into a shape for covering said entirety of said outer lateral surface of said frame;
an engagement portion for fitting engagement to and along said peripheral end of said frame, said engagement portion comprising an inwardly bent peripheral end portion bending in a direction to said inward side of said body; and
said inwardly-bent peripheral end portion being defined integral with and along an entire peripheral end of said body and being shaped to allow the inwardly-bent peripheral end portion itself to be resiliently and fittingly engaged with and along said entirety of said peripheral end of said frame; and

said garnish with said end portion of said trim cover element sewn thereto being at said inwardly-bent peripheral end portion thereof resiliently engaged over and fitted to and along said entirety of said peripheral end of said frame, so that said outer lateral surface of said frame and said peripheral end of said frame are entirely covered with and secured to said body of said garnish and said inwardly-bent peripheral end portion of said garnish, respectively, due to said resilient recovery of the garnish.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein said end portion of said trim cover element and said garnish are sewn with each other in such a fashion that the end portion of the trim cover element is positioned on said outer surface of the garnish.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein said end portion of said trim cover element and said garnish are sewn with each other in such a fashion that the end portion of the trim cover element is positioned on an upper side of a peripheral end portion of the garnish.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein said garnish is formed from an elastomer.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein said garnish is formed from an unwoven fabric material.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein said end portion of said trim cover element includes: a folded portion extending to an outer surface of said garnish which faces said lateral side of the vehicle seat; and an inward side facing said outer surface region of said garnish, wherein said folded portion is formed by folding over said end portion of the trim cover element, so that said end portion is located on said inward side of the trim cover element, and wherein said folded portion is at an end thereof sewn with said garnish so as to be located on said outer surface of the garnish.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein said end portion of said trim cover element includes a folded portion extending to an upper side of a peripheral end portion of said garnish; said folded portion being formed by bending said end portion of the trim cover element towards said upper side of said peripheral portion of said garnish in a direction inwardly of the garnish, and wherein said folded portion is at an end thereof sewn with said upper side of said peripheral end portion of the garnish so as to be located on said upper side.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein
said peripheral end of said frame comprises: an inwardly-extending peripheral end extending in a direction form said outer lateral surface of the frame to said inner lateral surface thereof;
said inwardly-bent peripheral end portion of said garnish includes an engagement region for resiliently embracing engagement with an entirety of said inwardly-extending peripheral end of said frame; and
said garnish with said end portion of said trim cover element sewn thereto is at said engagement region thereof resiliently engaged over and fitted to and along said entirety of said inwardly-bent peripheral end of said frame, in an embracing way.

Assignees

• Tachi S Co

Inventors

• Taguchi Masayuki
• Makita Naoyuki
• MIYAZAWA Ukyo
• Fujita Daisuke
• Ishii Atsushi
• Kumagai Kotaro

Classifications

• B60N2/06

  slidable (B60N2/12 {, B60N2/2209} take precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/0732

  Attachment of seat frame to the slide, e.g. eyelets · CPC title

• B60N2/5816

  attachments thereof · CPC title

• B60N2/686

  Panel like structures · CPC title

• B60N2/0715

  C or U-shaped · CPC title