Entry/exit support structure of vehicle seat

An entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat has: a side support portion that is provided in a seat transverse direction of a seat cushion, and that is displaced in a seat vertical direction; a seat sliding mechanism that supports the seat cushion to slide in a seat front-rear direction, and that has a locking device restricting sliding of the seat cushion in the seat front-rear direction; and a side support portion restricting mechanism having a release operation portion. In a state in which the release operation portion is positioned at a lock position, displacement of the side support portion in the seat vertical direction is restricted. In a state in which the release operation portion is positioned at a release position, displacement of the side support portion in the seat vertical direction is permitted and sliding of the seat cushion in the seat front-rear direction is permitted.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-008053 filed Jan. 20, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat.

Related Art

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. H05-220025 discloses a side support structure of a seat cushion for making it easy to enter a vehicle and exit from the vehicle. In accordance with the structure disclosed in the aforementioned document, a side support portion that is provided at a transverse direction side portion of a seat cushion can be tilted in the vertical direction. Further, by sliding the seat to a position for the time of entry/exit, locking of the side support portion is released, and the side support portion can be tilted toward the lower side. Due thereto, the side support portion becoming a hindrance to entry of a vehicle occupant into the vehicle and exit from the vehicle can be suppressed (a deterioration in the ease of entry into and exit from the vehicle can be suppressed).

However, in the structure described in JP-A No. H05-220025, the side support portion can be tilted toward the lower side only when the seat is positioned at a predetermined position. Thus, there is room for improvement from the standpoint of improving the ease of entry and exit of a vehicle occupant into and from the vehicle.

SUMMARY

In view of the above-described circumstances, the present invention provides an entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat that can improve the ease of entry and exit of a vehicle occupant into and from the vehicle.

An entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat of a first aspect of the present invention has: a side support portion that is provided at at least one side in a seat transverse direction of a seat cushion on which a vehicle occupant sits, and that is configured to be displaced in a seat vertical direction; a seat sliding mechanism that supports the seat cushion to be configured to slide in a seat front-rear direction, and that has a locking device that restricts sliding of the seat cushion in the seat front-rear direction; and a side support portion restricting mechanism that has a release operation portion operated by a vehicle occupant. In a state in which the release operation portion is positioned at a lock position, displacement of the side support portion in the seat vertical direction is restricted, and, in a state in which the release operation portion is positioned at a release position, displacement of the side support portion in the seat vertical direction is permitted and sliding of the seat cushion in the seat front-rear direction is permitted.

In accordance with the first aspect, the side support portion that can be displaced in the seat vertical direction is provided at at least one side in the seat transverse direction of the seat cushion on which a vehicle occupant sits. The side support portion can be displaced in the seat vertical direction. Further, the seat cushion is supported by the seat sliding mechanism so as to be able to slide in the seat front-rear direction.

Here, in the state in which the release operation portion of the side support portion restricting mechanism is positioned at the restricting position, displacement in the seat vertical direction is restricted. Further, in the state in which the release operation portion is positioned at the permitting position due to the vehicle occupant operating the release operation portion, or the like, displacement of the side support portion in the seat vertical direction is permitted, and in addition, sliding of the seat cushion in the seat front-rear direction is permitted. Due thereto, in the state in which the seat cushion is moved to a desired position in the seat front-rear direction, the side support portion can be displaced toward the seat lower side. Due thereto, the side support portion becoming a hindrance to entry of a vehicle occupant into the vehicle and exiting of a vehicle occupant from the vehicle can be suppressed, and a deterioration in the ease of entry into and exit from the vehicle can be suppressed.

In an entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat of a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, a side support portion urging member is provided around the side support portion, and the side support portion urging member urges the side support portion in a direction of being displaced toward a seat lower side.

In accordance with the second aspect, due to the side support portion urging member being provided, it can be made such that the side support portion is easily displaced toward the seat lower side at the time when the release operation portion is moved to the permitting position.

In an entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat of a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect or the second aspect, the release operation portion is provided at a seat lower side of the side support portion.

In accordance with the third aspect, due to the release operation portion being disposed at the above-described position, the side support portion can be displaced while the vehicle occupant operates the release operation portion.

In an entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat of a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first through the third aspects, a slide permitting operation portion is provided at a lower side of the seat cushion at a position different than the release operation portion, and, due to the slide permitting operation portion being operated, sliding of the seat cushion, which is in a state in which displacement of the side support portion in the seat vertical direction is restricted, in the seat front-rear direction is permitted.

In accordance with the fourth aspect, due to the slide permitting operation portion being operated, the seat cushion can be slid in the seat front-rear direction in a state in which displacement of the side support portion is restricted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A vehicle seat, to which is applied an entry/exit support structure of a vehicle seat relating to an embodiment of the present invention, is described by usingFIG. 1andFIG. 2. Note that, in the following explanation, when description is given by using the front-rear, left-right and vertical directions, they refer to the front-rear, the left-right and the vertical directions as seen from a vehicle occupant seated in the vehicle seat. Further, arrow FR that is shown appropriately in the respective drawings indicates the forward direction, arrow UP indicates the upward direction, arrow RH indicates the rightward direction, and arrow LH indicates the leftward direction.

As shown inFIG. 1, a vehicle seat10relating to the present embodiment is used as a driver's seat. The vehicle seat10has a seat cushion12that supports the buttocks and the femoral regions of a vehicle occupant, a seatback14that supports the upper body of the vehicle occupant, and a headrest16that supports the head portion of the vehicle occupant.

Side support portions18,20that extend along the seat front-rear direction are provided at the seat transverse direction both end portions of the seat cushion12. Moreover, the side support portion18that is provided at the seat right side is structured so as to be able to tilt (so as to be able to be displaced) by a side support portion moving device38that serves as a side support portion restricting mechanism and that is described later. As a result, the seat transverse direction outer side end portion of the side support portion18can be raised and lower in the seat vertical direction. Note that, in the present embodiment, the side support portion18that is at the right side is made to be tiltable in order to facilitate the vehicle occupant getting into and getting out of the vehicle seat10that is used as the driver's seat, but both the left and right side support portions18,20may be made to be tiltable.

As shown inFIG. 1andFIG. 2, the vehicle seat10is fixed to a floor26of the vehicle body via upper rails22and lower rails24and the like that structure portions of a seat sliding mechanism that is provided at the lower side of the seat cushion12. The vehicle seat10(the seat cushion12) can be slid in the front-rear direction due to the upper rails22being moved along the lower rails24. Here, in the present embodiment, movement of the upper rails22with respect to the lower rails24is restricted due to a slide locking device28being operated. Further, due to a slide lock releasing lever34of the slide locking device28being tilted toward one side via a first cable30and a loop handle32that serves as a slide permitting operation portion, restricting of the movement of the upper rails22with respect to the lower rails24by the slide locking device28is released, and the vehicle seat10can be slid in the front-rear direction. Note that, due to the loop handle32being provided at the lower side of the front end portion of the seat cushion12, the loop handle32is operated by the vehicle occupant who is seated in the vehicle seat10. Further, in a state in which the first cable30is not being pulled, or in a state in which the loop handle32is not being operated, the slide lock releasing lever34that has been titled returns to its original position due to a lock spring36that is provided within the lower rail24.

A side support portion moving device38that is a main portion of the present embodiment is described next.

As shown inFIG. 2, the side support portion moving device38has a shaft portion40, which supports the side support portion18so as to be tiltable with the front-rear direction being the axial direction, and a side support portion locking device42that holds the side support portion18in a state of being tilted toward the upper side (a state in which an end portion18A at the right side of the side support portion18is positioned toward the upper side). Further, side support portion moving device38has a support lock releasing lever44that serves as a release operation portion that, by being operated, releases the holding of the side support portion18by the side support portion locking device42.

The side support portion locking device42has a lock plate46, whose proximal end side is joined to the shaft portion40and that is formed in the shape of a plate that extends toward the radial direction outer side of the shaft portion40, and an engaged plate48that has a lock hole48A that restricts rotation of the shaft portion40due to a distal end portion46A of the lock plate46engaging therewith. This engaged plate48is supported so as to be tiltable via a pin50. Further, when the engaged plate48is pulled via a second cable52, the engaged plate48is tilted toward one side, and the distal end portion46A of the lock plate46is pulled-out from the lock hole48A of the engaged plate48. Due thereto, restricting of the rotation of the shaft portion40is released, i.e., the holding of the side support portion18is released, and the side support portion18can be tilted toward the lower side. Note that the engaged plate48is urged by an unillustrated urging member in the direction of tilting toward the other side.

Here, in the present embodiment, a side support portion urging spring54, which serves as a side support portion urging member and urges the side support portion18in the direction of tilting toward the lower side, is provided between the shaft portion40and the side support portion18. Therefore, when the holding of the side support portion18by the side support portion locking device42is released, the side support portion18is titled toward the lower side by the urging force of the side support portion urging spring54.

The support lock releasing lever44is formed in the shape of a plate whose end portion at the seat transverse direction outer side is bent in an L-shape. This support lock releasing lever44is slidably supported at the lower side end portion of the side support portion18. The first cable30and the second cable52are connected to this support lock releasing lever44. Due to the support lock releasing lever44being slid from a lock position P1to a release position P2, and the first cable30and the second cable52being pulled via the support lock releasing lever44, the vehicle seat10can be slid in the front-rear direction, and the side support portion18can be tilted toward the lower side.

(Operation and Effects of Present Embodiment)

Operation and effects of the present embodiment are described next.

First, the time when a vehicle occupant enters into the vehicle is described by usingFIG. 3andFIG. 4.

As in the state ofFIG. 3Aand the state ofFIG. 4A, in order for a vehicle occupant to sit in the vehicle seat10that is the driver's seat, in the state in which the front side door is opened, the side support portion18that is at the right side of the seat cushion12is in a lowered state. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the side support portion18at the right side becoming a hindrance to entry of the vehicle occupant into the vehicle can be suppressed.

As in the state ofFIG. 3Band the state ofFIG. 4B, after the vehicle occupant sits down in the vehicle seat10, due to the vehicle occupant sliding the support lock releasing lever44to the release position P2, the side support portion18at the right side can be raised (pulled upward), and as in the state ofFIG. 3Cand the state ofFIG. 4C, the front-rear position of the vehicle seat10can be adjusted to a position at which driving is easy.

Further, as in the state ofFIG. 3Dand the state ofFIG. 4D, due to the vehicle occupant letting go of the support lock releasing lever44, and the support lock releasing lever44being moved from the release position P2to the lock position P1, the side support portion18at the right side is held in the state of being tilted toward the upper side, and sliding of the vehicle seat10in the front-rear direction is restricted.

Next, the time when a vehicle occupant exits the vehicle is described by usingFIG. 5andFIG. 6.

The vehicle seat10in a state in which a vehicle occupant is seated thereon is shown inFIG. 5AandFIG. 6A. In this state, as in the state ofFIG. 5BandFIG. 6B, due to the vehicle occupant sliding the support lock releasing lever44to the release position P2, the side support portion18at the right side can be lowered (moved downward), and, as in the state ofFIG. 5Cand the state ofFIG. 6C, the front-rear position of the vehicle seat10can be adjusted to a position at which exiting from the vehicle is easy.

Further, as in the state ofFIG. 5Dand the state ofFIG. 6D, due to the vehicle occupant letting go of the support lock releasing lever44, and the support lock releasing lever44being moved from the release position P2to the lock position P1, sliding of the vehicle seat10in the front-rear direction is restricted. Due thereto, in the present embodiment, the side support portion18at the right side becoming a hindrance to the vehicle occupant exiting from the vehicle can be suppressed.

As described above, in accordance with the vehicle seat10of the present embodiment, the ease of entry and exit of a vehicle occupant into and from the vehicle can be improved.

Further, in accordance with the vehicle seat10of the present embodiment, due to the side support portion urging spring54being provided, the side support portion18can be lowered by the urging force of the side support portion urging spring54.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, due to the support lock releasing lever44being provided at the lower side of the side support portion18, the vehicle occupant can tilt the side support portion18while operating the support lock releasing lever44.

Further, in the present embodiment, due to the loop handle32(seeFIG. 2) being provided in addition to the support lock releasing lever44, the vehicle seat10can be slid in the front-rear direction in a state in which displacement of the side support portion18is restricted (a state in which the side support portion18is not lowered).

Note that, although the present embodiment describes an example in which the loop handle32is provided, the present invention is not limited to this. Whether or not to provide the loop handle32may be selected appropriately in consideration of the position at which the vehicle seat10is provided, or the like.

Further, the present embodiment describes an example in which the support lock releasing lever44is provided at the lower side of the side support portion18, but the present invention is not limited to this. The position at which the support lock releasing lever44is provided may be set appropriately in consideration of the operability of the support lock releasing lever44by the vehicle occupant, or the like.

Moreover, although the present embodiment describes an example in which the side support portion18is lowered by the urging force of the side support portion urging spring54, the present invention is not limited to this. The urging force of the side support portion urging spring54may be urging force of an extent of assisting at the time when the vehicle occupant moves the side support portion18downward. Further, there may be a structure in which the side support portion urging spring54is not provided.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and can of course be implemented by being modified in various ways other than the above, within a scope that does not depart from the gist thereof.