Seat device for vehicle

A seat device for a vehicle includes a seat back, an auxiliary member supported on the seat back and can pivot between a storage position at which the auxiliary member is housed in a housing recess part and a projecting position at which the auxiliary member projects forward of the seat back, and an inner board that closes a rear opening face of the housing recess part, a board support member having a retaining groove into which a lower end part of the inner board is fitted from above, wherein a latching projection and a latching groove are formed respectively on one and the other of opposing faces of the retaining groove and the lower end part of the inner board fitted thereinto, the latching projection and the latching groove being engaged with each other for suppressing upward movement of the inner board.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an improvement of a seat device for a vehicle that includes a seat back, an auxiliary member that is axially supported on the seat back and can pivot between a storage position at which it is housed in a housing recess part formed so as to extend through a cushion pad of the seat back and a projecting position at which it projects forward of the seat back, and an inner board that closes a rear opening face of the housing recess part, a board support member having a retaining groove into which a lower end part of the inner board is fitted from above being mounted on a frame of the seat back.

BACKGROUND ART

Such a seat device for a vehicle is known, as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

RELATED ART DOCUMENTS

Patent Documents

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

In the seat device for a vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, in order to suppress disengagement of a lower end part of an inner board that is fitted into a retaining groove of a board support member, the inner board is secured to the board retaining member by means of a tacker. However, since the operation of securing by means of a tacker needs to be carried out in a confined space beneath a seat back, it is difficult and requires skill.

The present invention has been accomplished in light of such circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide a seat device for a vehicle that, without using a special securing member such as a tacker, enables disengagement of a lower end part of an inner board that is fitted into a retaining groove of a board support member to be easily suppressed.

Means for Solving the Problems

In order to attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat device for a vehicle, comprising a seat back, an auxiliary member that is axially supported on the seat back and can pivot between a storage position at which the auxiliary member is housed in a housing recess part formed so as to extend through a cushion pad of the seat back and a projecting position at which the auxiliary member projects forward of the seat back, and an inner board that closes a rear opening face of the housing recess part, a board support member having a retaining groove into which a lower end part of the inner board is fitted from above being mounted on a frame of the seat back, characterized in that a latching projection and a latching groove are formed respectively on one and the other of opposing faces of the retaining groove and the lower end part of the inner board fitted thereinto, the latching projection and the latching groove being engaged with each other so as to suppress upward movement of the inner board.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, the latching groove is formed in a side face of the inner board across the whole width in the left-and-right direction, and the latching projection is formed on an inside face of the retaining groove.

Furthermore, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first or second aspect, the latching projection is molded into a rib shape integrally with the board support member.

Moreover, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the second or third aspect, the board support member is formed from a bottom wall portion, and a front wall portion and rear wall portion that rise from front and rear edges of the bottom wall portion so as to define the retaining groove therebetween, the latching projection is formed so as to bend from an upper end part of one of the front wall portion and the rear wall portion toward the retaining groove side, and the board support member and the latching projection are integrally molded.

Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the fourth aspect, the latching projection is formed on the rear wall portion, and the front wall portion is formed so as to extend higher than the rear wall portion.

Furthermore, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a forwardly projecting support piece formed by punching from the rear is provided on a back panel that is secured to the frame and that covers a rear face of the seat back, the board support member is held between the support piece and the back panel, and the state in which the board support member is held by the support piece and the back panel can be visually checked through an opening, which is formed as a result of punching of the back panel for forming the support piece.

Effects of the Invention

In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, since the latching projection and the latching groove that engage with each other to thus suppress upward movement of the inner board are formed respectively on one and the other of the opposing faces of the retaining groove of the board support member and the lower end part of the inner board fitted thereinto, it is possible, merely by fitting the lower end part of the inner board into the retaining groove, to suppress upward movement of the inner board due to engagement of the latching projection and the latching groove and, therefore, even if the inner board flexes forwardly due to it receiving a load from the rear, it is possible to prevent the inner board from disengaging from the retaining groove. Moreover, it becomes unnecessary to use a special securing member for suppressing disengagement of the inner board from the retaining groove, thus improving the simplification of the structure and ease of assembly of the seat device for a vehicle and contributing to a reduction in cost.

In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, since the latching groove is formed over the whole width in the left-and-right direction on the side face of the inner board, and the latching projection is formed on the inside face of the retaining groove, it is possible to engage the latching projection with the latching groove at any position along the left-and-right direction of the inner board, thus improving the ease of assembly.

In accordance with the third aspect of the present invention, since the latching projection is molded integrally into a rib shape with the board support member, not only is it possible to avoid any increase in the number of components due to the latching projection, but it is also possible to reinforce the stiffness of the board support member due to the latching projection functioning as a reinforcing rib, thereby enhancing the engagement force with the latching groove.

In accordance with the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the board support member is formed from the bottom wall portion and the front wall portion and rear wall portion rising from the front and rear edges of the bottom wall portion and defining the retaining groove therebetween, the latching projection is formed so as to bend from an upper end part of one of the front wall portion and the rear wall portion toward the retaining groove side, and the board support member and the latching projection are integrally molded, it is possible for the board support member equipped with the latching projection to form one component, thus contributing to simplification of the structure of the seat device for a vehicle. Furthermore, the board support member, which is integrally formed from the bottom wall portion, the front wall portion, and the rear wall portion, gives a structure with a channel-shaped cross section having high stiffness, thus enabling the inner board to be strongly supported.

In accordance with the fifth aspect of the present invention, since in the board support member the latching projection is formed on the rear wall portion and the front wall portion is formed so as to extend higher than the rear wall portion, when the intermediate part of the inner board flexes forwardly due to application of a load from the rear, in the board support member the inner board tilts forwardly with the upper end of the front wall portion, which is tall, as the fulcrum, the latching groove on the rear face of the inner board accordingly engages more strongly with the latching claw on the upper end part of the rear wall portion, which is short, and upward disengagement of the inner board can be suppressed effectively.

In accordance with the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the back panel secured to the frame and covering the rear face of the seat back is provided with the support pieces, projecting upwardly to the front, formed by punching from the rear, and the board support member is held between the support pieces and the back panel, it is possible to mount the inner board on the frame without using a special support member, thus further contributing to simplification of the structure of the seat device for a vehicle and, moreover, since the state in which the board support member is held by the support pieces and the back panel can be visually checked through the openings resulting from punching of the back panel for forming the support pieces, it is possible to visually check the state of support of the inner board without providing an observation window exclusively used therefor in the back panel, thus enabling assembly faults to be prevented.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SYMBOLS

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

In the explanation below, front-and-rear and left-and-right are defined on the basis of an automobile as a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

InFIG. 1, a seat S in the illustrated example is a rear seat for three occupants installed on a floor of an automobile and is formed from a seat cushion1and a seat back2rising upwardly from a rear end part thereof, and an upper part of the seat back2is equipped with three headrests3a,3b, and3cfor three occupants arranged in the left-and-right direction. Furthermore, a housing recess part4is provided in a central part of the seat back2, and an arm rest7supported via a pivot shaft6on a pair of left and right brackets5and5(seeFIG. 3andFIG. 4) disposed in a lower part within the housing recess part4can pivot between a storage position A at which it is housed in the housing recess part4(seeFIG. 3) and a projecting position B at which it projects forwardly and is placed above the seat cushion1. This arm rest7has a cup holder8provided in a face that is an upper face at the projecting position B.

InFIG. 1toFIG. 3,FIG. 5, andFIG. 6, the seat back2is formed from a frame10and a cushion pad11supported on the frame10, and the surface of the cushion pad11is covered by a leather or synthetic leather skin12. The housing recess part4extends through a central part of the cushion pad11, and an upper pad portion11aand a lower pad portion11bof the cushion pad11remain above and below the housing recess part4.

The frame10is formed from a main frame13that is formed into a substantially rectangular shape so as to follow the outline of a rear face of the seat back2, and a pair of left and right cross pipes14and14that link an upper side portion13aand a lower side portion13bof the main frame13on left and right sides of the housing recess part4; the brackets5and5are secured to the lower side portion13bof the main frame13by means of welding, etc., and a back panel15made of a thin steel sheet is secured to a rear face of the frame10by means of welding, etc.

Furthermore, three pairs of left and right support tubes17and17supporting a pair of left and right pillars16and16of each of the three headrests3a,3b, and3care secured to the upper side portion13aby means of welding, etc.

InFIG. 3toFIG. 11, the housing recess part4has an inner board26mounted as follows, the inner board26forming a back wall thereof.

As shown inFIG. 5andFIG. 6, a plurality of support pieces25and25projecting upwardly to the front are formed on a portion, corresponding to the underneath of the housing recess part4, of the back panel15by punching from the rear, and a board support member20is held between these support pieces25and25and the back panel15, the board support member20having a length that falls within the range of the overall width in the left-and-right direction of the housing recess part4.

The board support member20is made of a synthetic resin and is formed from a bottom wall portion20aand a front wall portion20band rear wall portion20crising from front and rear edges of the bottom wall portion20a, a U-shaped retaining groove21having an open upper face being defined by these bottom wall portion20a, front wall portion20b, and rear wall portion20c. An upper end part of the rear wall portion20chas molded integrally therewith a latching projection22projecting so as to bend toward the retaining groove21side, the latching projection22having a rib shape extending in the left-and-right direction.

The front wall portion20band the rear wall portion20cextend further upward than the support pieces25and25, and the front wall portion20bextends further upward than the rear wall portion20c. A plurality of openings23and23formed when forming the support pieces25and25by punching are left in the back panel15.

A lower end part of the inner board26is fitted from above into the retaining groove21through the housing recess part4from the front of the seat back2. In this arrangement, a latching groove24is formed in a rear face of the inner board26so as to extend across the whole width in the left-and-right direction, and the latching projection22engages with the latching groove24. That is, the lower end part of the inner board26is inserted into the retaining groove21, the front wall portion20band the rear wall portion20celastically open apart temporarily so as to receive the lower end part of the inner board26, and when the latching groove24reaches the position of the latching projection22, the front wall portion20band the rear wall portion20cnarrow the distance therebetween by virtue of the force restoring them to their original shape and the latching projection22engages with the latching groove24. Due to this engagement, upward escape of the inner board26from the latching groove24is suppressed.

A rear end part of the skin12covering an upper face of the lower pad portion11bis sewed onto the front wall portion20bof the board support member20.

As shown inFIG. 7, with regard to the upper pad portion11asupported on the upper side portion13aof the main frame13, a lower end part of the skin12covering a front face thereof extends toward the reverse side of the housing recess part4so as to form a pouch-shaped portion12a; after an upper end part of the inner board26having the lower end part fitted into the retaining groove21is covered with the pouch-shaped portion12a, the upper end part of the inner board26is shifted to the reverse side of the housing recess part4while greatly flexing an intermediate part of the inner board26to the front, and the inner board26is then returned to its original shape by virtue of its elastic restoration force. As a result, the upper end part of the inner board26is elastically supported, together with the pouch-shaped portion12a, on a rear face of a lower part of the upper pad portion11aof the cushion pad11, and the reaction force of the upper pad portion11apresses the inner board26so that it abuts against the back panel15. In this arrangement, as shown inFIG. 9, a relatively shallow positioning recess part27is formed in a front face of the back panel15, and due to the inner board26engaging with the positioning recess part27, movement in the left-and-right direction of the inner board26is restricted. In this way, the inner board26becomes the back wall of the housing recess part4.

A rear end part of the skin12covering the entire upper face of the cushion pad11is turned to the reverse side of the back panel15and sewed onto an upper skin support member34mounted on the rear face of an upper part of the back panel15.

As shown inFIG. 7toFIG. 11, the inner board26is formed from a flat-plate portion26aabutting against the back panel15while being fitted into the retaining groove21(FIG. 6), an inclined portion26bbending upwardly to the front from the upper end of the flat-plate portion26aso as to avoid the pair of left and right support tubes17and17supporting the headrest3bat the middle position, and a rising portion26crising upwardly from the upper end of the inclined portion26b, and a latching claw28bending forwardly in an arc shape is integrally formed with the upper end of the rising portion26c. The rising portion26cand the latching claw28are supported on the rear face of the lower part of the upper pad portion11a.

A stopper member30that will oppose a lower face of the latching claw28while contacting the skin12covering a lower face of the upper pad portion11ais secured by welding, etc. opposite ends of the stopper member30to the left and right cross pipes14and14of the frame10; when the inner board26is pressed toward the housing recess part4side by means of a load from the rear and flexingly deformed, the latching claw28engages with the stopper member30via the pouch-shaped portion12aof the skin12(seeFIG. 8), thus suppressing forward and downward movement of the upper end part of the inner board26. The stopper member30is formed from a steel wire having a circular cross section whereas an inner face of the latching claw28, which can engage therewith, is an arc face, thus ensuring a large engagement area between the stopper member30and the latching claw28.

Furthermore, in order to enhance the stiffness between the inclined portion26band the latching claw28, a plurality of reinforcing ribs31integrally linking the inclined portion26band the latching claw28are formed on a rear face of the inner board26. These reinforcing ribs31are formed into a triangular shape when viewed from the side so as to fill a valley part32between the inclined portion26band the rising portion26cin order to enhance effectively the stiffness between the inclined portion26band the latching claw28. In this arrangement, these reinforcing ribs31are disposed between the pair of left and right support tubes17and17to thus avoid interference with the support tubes17and17supporting the headrest3bat the middle position.

Moreover, a plurality of ribs33that are lower than the reinforcing ribs31are formed integrally with the rear face of the inner board26throughout substantially the whole length in the vertical direction in order to impart appropriate stiffness to the entirety of the inner board26.

The rear end part of the skin12covering the upper face of the lower pad portion11bis sewed onto the front wall portion20bof the board support member20(seeFIG. 5). Furthermore, the skin12covering the entire lower face of the cushion pad11is sewed onto a lower skin support member35secured to a rear face of a lower part of the back panel15. Furthermore, vertically opposite end parts of a cover sheet36covering the rear face of the back panel15are sewed onto the upper and lower skin retaining members34and35(seeFIG. 3,FIG. 5, andFIG. 7).

The operation of this embodiment is now explained.

When, in order to use the arm rest7, it is pulled out to the projecting position B from the housing recess part4of the seat back2, the interior of the housing recess part4can be seen from the vehicle compartment side, but since the rear opening face of the housing recess part4is closed by the inner board26, even if a small item is dropped into the housing recess part4, the inner board26can prevent the small item from going into the reverse side of the seat back2, and the appearance can also be improved.

Furthermore, at a time of sudden braking, etc. of an automobile, when luggage in a luggage compartment to the rear of the rear seat S moves forcefully forward by virtue of inertial force, collides with the back panel15, which is a thin steel sheet, and pushes the inner board26forward while the impact load forwardly deforms the back panel15, since upward movement of the inner board26is suppressed due to engagement between the latching groove24of the lower end part thereof and the latching projection22of the board support member20, the inner board26pivots forwardly with the board support member20as a fulcrum, and the latching claw28in the upper end part of the inner board26, together with the pouch-shaped portion12aof the skin12, engages with the stopper member30while deforming the upper pad portion11a(seeFIG. 8), thereby suppressing forward and downward movements. This enables excessive forward pivoting and flexing of the inner board26to be suppressed, thus ensuring the durability of the inner board26. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to provide the rear opening of the housing recess part4with a special load-receiving member that receives a load from the rear and protects an inner board, and it becomes possible to simplify the structure of the seat device for a vehicle and, consequently, to reduce the cost. In this process, the latching claw28deforms the cushion pad11until the latching claw28engages with the stopper member30, thus softening the impact of engagement between the latching claw28and the stopper member30and thereby improving the durability of the latching claw28.

Furthermore, since the upper end part of the inner board26is supported on the rear face of the cushion pad11, and the back panel15, against which the inner board26abuts by receiving the elastic repulsive force of the cushion pad11, is secured to the frame10of the seat back2, it is possible, by utilizing the cushion pad and the back panel that are inherently provided on the seat back2, to support the inner board26, thereby further simplifying the structure of the seat device for a vehicle.

Moreover, since the latching claw28is molded integrally with the inner board26, it is possible to further contribute to simplification of the structure and reduction of the cost without increasing the number of components due to the latching claw28.

Furthermore, since the reinforcing ribs31linking the inner board26and the latching claw28are formed therebetween, it is possible to suppress effectively flexing between the inner board26and the latching claw28.

Moreover, since the inner board26is formed from the flat-plate portion26aabutting against the back panel15, the inclined portion26bbending forwardly from the upper end of the flat-plate portion26aso as to avoid the support tubes17and17for the headrest3bfixedly provided on the upper part of the frame10of the seat back2, and the rising portion26crising from the upper end of the inclined portion26b, the latching claw28is formed integrally with the upper end of the rising portion26c, and the three portions, that is, the latching claw28, the rising portion26c, and the flat-plate portion26aare linked continuously by the reinforcing ribs31, it is possible to suppress effectively flexing of the three portions, that is, the latching claw28, the rising portion26c, and the flat-plate portion26aand also to reinforce the stiffness of the latching claw, thereby improving engagement of the latching claw28with the stopper member30.

Furthermore, since the reinforcing ribs31are formed as a plurality of straight lines so as to cross the valley part32between the inclined portion26band the rising portion26c, and these reinforcing ribs31are disposed between the pair of left and right support tubes17and17, it is possible to reinforce effectively the stiffness of the latching claw28and an area around its base while avoiding interference between the reinforcing ribs31, which are tall, and the support tubes17and17for the headrest3b.

Moreover, since the stopper member30is formed so as to have a circular cross section whereas the inside face of the latching claw28abutting against the outer peripheral face of the stopper member30is formed into an arc face so as to increase the engagement area of the latching claw28and the stopper member30so that it is as wide as possible, it is possible to suppress an increase in the engagement pressure between the latching claw28and the stopper member30, thus ensuring durability of the latching claw28.

Furthermore, since in order to suppress upward movement of the inner board26the latching projection22and the latching groove24, which engage with each other to thus suppress upward movement of the inner board26, are formed respectively on one and the other of opposing side faces of the retaining groove21of the board support member20and the lower end part of the inner board26fitted thereinto, it is possible, merely by fitting the lower end part of the inner board26into the retaining groove21, to obtain engagement between the latching projection22and the latching groove24and easily suppress upward movement of the inner board26, and it therefore becomes unnecessary to use a special securing member for suppressing disengagement of the inner board26from the retaining groove21, thus improving simplification of the structure and ease of assembly of the seat device for a vehicle and contributing to a reduction in cost.

Moreover, since the latching groove24is formed over the whole width in the left-and-right direction on the side face of the inner board26, and the latching projection22is formed on the inside face of the retaining groove21, it is possible to engage the latching projection22with the latching groove24at any position along the left-and-right direction of the inner board26, thus improving the ease of assembly.

Furthermore, since the latching projection22is molded integrally into a rib shape with the board support member20, not only is it possible to avoid any increase in the number of components due to the latching projection22, but it is also possible to reinforce the stiffness of the board support member20due to the latching projection functioning as a reinforcing rib, thereby enhancing the engagement force with the latching groove24.

Moreover, since the board support member20is formed from the bottom wall portion20aand the front wall portion20band rear wall portion20crising from the front and rear edges of the bottom wall portion20aand defining the retaining groove21therebetween, the latching projection22is formed so as to bend from an upper end part of one of the front wall portion20band the rear wall portion20ctoward the retaining groove21side, and the board support member20and the latching projection22are integrally molded, it is possible for the board support member20equipped with the latching projection22to form one component, thus contributing to simplification of the structure of the seat device for a vehicle. Furthermore, the board support member20, which is integrally formed from the bottom wall portion20a, the front wall portion20b, and the rear wall portion20c, gives a structure with a channel-shaped cross section having high stiffness, thus enabling the inner board26to be strongly supported.

Moreover, since in the board support member20the latching projection22is formed on the rear wall portion20cand the front wall portion20bis formed so as to extend higher than the rear wall portion20c, when the intermediate part of the inner board26flexes forwardly due to application of a load from the rear, in the board support member20the inner board26tilts forwardly with the upper end of the front wall portion20b, which is tall, as the fulcrum, the latching groove24on the rear face of the inner board26accordingly engages more strongly with the latching claw28on the upper end part of the rear wall portion20c, which is short, and upward disengagement of the inner board26can be suppressed effectively.

Furthermore, since the back panel15secured to the frame10and covering the rear face of the seat back2is provided with the support pieces25and25, projecting upwardly to the front, formed by punching from the rear, and the board support member20is held between the support pieces25and25and the back panel15, it is possible to mount the inner board26on the frame10without using a special support member, thus further contributing to simplification of the structure of the seat device for a vehicle and, moreover, since the state in which the board support member20is held by the support pieces25and25and the back panel15can be visually checked through the openings23and23resulting from punching of the back panel15for forming the support pieces25and25, it is possible to visually check the state of support of the inner board26without providing an observation window exclusively used therefor in the back panel15, thus enabling assembly faults to be prevented.

Another embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 12is now explained.

In this embodiment, a latching claw28formed on an upper end part of an inner board26is provided with a U-shaped turnover portion28a, and the latching claw28can engage with half the periphery of a stopper member30. The arrangement is otherwise the same as that of the preceding embodiment; portions inFIG. 12corresponding to the preceding embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and symbols, and duplication of the explanation is omitted.

In accordance with this embodiment, when the latching claw28engages with the stopper member30, due to the latching claw28engaging with half of the periphery of the stopper member30, even if the inner board26flexes forwardly by a large amount, it is possible to suppress disengagement of the latching claw28from the stopper member30, thus enabling excessive movement and deformation of the inner board26to be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited by the above embodiments and may be modified in a variety of ways as long as the modifications do not depart from the spirit and scope thereof. For example, instead of the arm rest7, a side table equipped with the cup holder8may be housed in the housing recess part4. Furthermore, the seat device of the present invention is not limited to use in an automobile and may be applied to a rail car, an airplane, etc.