Patent Publication Number: US-2023144452-A1

Title: Conveyance seat

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a conveyance seat and particularly to a conveyance seat having a configuration in which a cushion material is placed on a back frame serving as a skeleton of a backrest portion and is covered with a skin material. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Conventionally, there is known a vehicle seat configured to reduce a shock applied to a neck of an occupant by moving a head of the occupant toward a headrest in such a manner that an upper body of the occupant trying to move backward due to inertia at the time of a rear collision of a vehicle sinks into a seat back (for example, see PATENT LITERATURE 1). 
     In the vehicle seat described in PATENT LITERATURE 1, right and left side frames constituting side portions in a seat width direction, a connection wire connecting the right and left side frames, and an occupant support member (pressure receiving member) with a plate-shaped thin wall that is attached between the right and left side frames through the connection wire and supports a load from the occupant are provided as the back frame. 
     Since the occupant support member moves backward at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle, the upper body of the occupant sinks into the seat back by the occupant support member. 
     Further, in the vehicle seat, since the cushion material is placed on the back frame and is covered with a skin material, each of a front surface groove (skin pull-in groove) and a rear surface groove extending in an up to down direction is formed at a predetermined position not overlapping the back frame of the cushion material in a front to back direction of the seat. By the front surface groove and the back surface groove of the cushion material, the cushion material is easily bent so that the upper body of the occupant further easily sinks into the seat back at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     PATENT LITERATURE 1: JP 2013-249066 A 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Incidentally, in the vehicle seat shown in PATENT LITERATURE 1, the seat back (cushion material) is configured to be easily bent so that the upper body of the occupant sinks into the seat back at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle. However, it was required that the seated occupant has a comfortable seating feeling during normal use. 
     That is, it has been required to achieve both a good seating feeling (seating feeling) during normal use and a suitable shock absorbing structure at the time of a rear collision. 
     The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems and an object of the present invention is to provide a conveyance seat having a good seating feeling during normal use and a suitable shock absorbing structure at the time of a rear collision. 
     Solution to Problem 
     According to the conveyance seat of the present invention, the above-described problems are solved by a conveyance seat in which a cushion material is placed on a back frame serving as a skeleton of a backrest portion and is covered with a skin material, wherein the back frame includes right and left side frames which constitute side portions in a seat width direction and extend in an up to down direction, wherein a skin pull-in groove for pulling an end of the skin material is formed on a surface of a cushion front portion disposed on a seat front side in relation to the back frame in the cushion material, wherein a back surface of the cushion front portion is provided with a slit-shaped back surface groove which is disposed on the outside of the skin pull-in groove in the seat width direction and extends in the up to down direction, and wherein a portion located on the outside of the back surface groove in the seat width direction of the cushion front portion is disposed at a position overlapping the side frame in a front to back direction of the seat. 
     As described above, since the slit-shaped back surface groove is formed at a position on the outside of the skin pull-in groove in the seat width direction of the cushion front portion and the portion located on the outside of the back surface groove is disposed at a position overlapping the side frame in the front to back direction of the seat, it is possible to realize a conveyance seat having a good seating feeling and a suitable shock absorbing structure at the time of a rear collision. 
     Specifically, it is generally preferable that the center portion of the seat back in the seat width direction softly receives the occupant and the side portions of the seat back firmly holds and receives the occupant in order to obtain a good seating feeling. With the above-described configuration, a good seating feeling can be obtained during normal use and the cushion material can be easily bent in a bellows shape from the outside toward the inside of the seat width direction at the time of a rear collision (when an excessive load is applied from behind). 
     At this time, when an occupant is seated on the conveyance seat, a surface of the side frame and a back surface of a portion located on the outside of the back surface groove in the seat width direction of the cushion front portion may come into contact with each other. 
     With the above-described configuration, a better seating feeling can be obtained during normal use and the cushion material can be easily bent at the time of a rear collision. 
     At this time, the back frame may include an upper frame which connects upper portions of the right and left side frames, a lower frame which connects lower portions of the right and left side frames, a connection wire which connects the upper frame and the lower frame to each other, and a plate-shaped occupant support member that is attached between the upper frame and the lower frame through the connection wire and supports a load from the seated occupant, and the back surface groove may be disposed on the outside of the connection wire in the seat width direction. 
     As described above, since the surface groove is disposed to avoid the connection wire having relatively high rigidity, the cushion material can be further suitably and easily bent at the time of a rear collision. 
     At this time, at least a part of the back surface groove extending in the up to down direction may be disposed at a position overlapping the side frame in the front to back direction of the seat. 
     Further, the back surface groove may be disposed to be aligned with the skin pull-in groove in the seat width direction. 
     With the above-described configuration, a better seating feeling can be obtained during normal use and the cushion material suitably extends in a bellows shape so that the cushion material can be easily bent at the time of a rear collision. 
     At this time, the skin pull-in groove may extend in the up to down direction, and the back surface groove may be disposed at a position overlapping an upper portion of the skin pull-in groove in the seat width direction and may be disposed at a position overlapping a lower portion of the skin pull-in groove in the up to down direction. 
     With the above-described configuration, since the back surface groove and the lower portion of the skin pull-in groove are arranged to extend linearly, the cushion material can be further easily bent at the time of a rear collision. 
     At this time, the back surface groove may extend in a substantially linear shape in the up to down direction. 
     With the above-described configuration, the cushion material can be suitably and easily bent at the time of a rear collision. 
     At this time, at least a part of the back surface groove extending in the up to down direction may be formed to be recessed toward a seat front side and to reach a center portion of the front to back direction of the seat in a portion provided with the back surface groove of the cushion front portion. 
     As described above, since the back surface groove is formed to a predetermined depth position, the cushion material can be suitably and easily opened so that the cushion material can be easily bent at the time of a rear collision. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a conveyance seat having a good seating feeling and a shock absorbing structure at the time of a rear collision. 
     Specifically, it is generally preferable that the center portion of the seat back in the seat width direction softly receives the occupant and the side portions of the seat back firmly holds and receives the occupant in order to obtain a good seating feeling. With the above-described configuration, a good seating feeling can be obtained during normal use and the cushion material can be easily bent in a bellows shape from the outside toward the inside of the seat width direction at the time of a rear collision (when an excessive load is applied from behind). 
     Further, according to the invention, a better seating feeling can be obtained during normal use and the cushion material suitably extends in a bellows shape so that the cushion material can be easily bent at the time of a rear collision. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is an external perspective view of a conveyance seat according to the present invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of a back frame which is a skeleton of a seat back. 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of a cushion material of the seat back. 
         FIG.  4    is a front view of the cushion material of the seat back. 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional view taken along a line V-V of  FIG.  4    and is a view showing a positional relationship between a surface groove and a back surface groove. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VI-VI of  FIG.  4   . 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VII-VII of  FIG.  4   . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS.  1  to  7   . 
     This embodiment relates to the invention of a conveyance seat in which a cushion material is placed on a back frame and is covered with a skin material, a back frame includes right and left side frames which constitute side portions in a seat width direction and extend in an up to down direction, a surface of the cushion material is provided with a skin pull-in groove for pulling an end of the skin material and a surface groove disposed on the outside of the skin pull-in groove in a seat width direction and extending in an up to down direction, a back surface of the cushion material is provided with a back surface groove disposed between the skin pull-in groove and the surface groove in the seat width direction and extending in the up to down direction, and the surface groove is disposed at a position overlapping the side frame in a front to back direction of the seat. 
     Additionally, a side on which an occupant sits with respect to a seat back of the conveyance seat is a seat front side. 
     A conveyance seat S of this embodiment mainly includes, as shown in  FIG.  1   , a seat back  1 , a seat cushion  2  which is connected to a lower portion of the seat back  1 , and a headrest  3  which is connected to an upper portion of the seat back  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , the seat back  1  is a backrest portion which supports the back of the occupant from behind and has a configuration in which a cushion material  20  shown in  FIG.  3    is placed on a back frame  10  serving as a skeleton and shown in  FIG.  2    and is covered with a skin material  30 . 
     The seat cushion  2  is a seating portion which supports the occupant from below and has a configuration in which a cushion material  2   a  is placed on a cushion frame (not shown) serving as a skeleton and is covered with a skin material  2   b  from above the cushion material  2   a.    
     The headrest  3  is a head portion which supports the head of the occupant from behind and has a configuration in which a cushion material  3   a  is placed on a headrest pillar (not shown) serving as a core material and is covered with a skin material  3   b.    
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , the back frame  10  mainly includes right and left side frames  11  which are composed of a substantially rectangular frame-shaped body, are arranged laterally in the seat width direction, and extend in the up to down direction, an upper frame  12  which connects the upper end portions of the right and left side frames  11 , a lower frame  13  which connects the lower end portions of the right and left side frames  11  and has a substantial plate shape, a connection wire  14  which connects the upper frame  12  and the lower frame  13 , and a plate-shaped occupant support member  15  which is attached between the upper frame  12  and the lower frame  13  through the connection wire  14  and supports the load of the seated occupant. 
     The side frames  11  are metal plate members having a substantially U-shaped cross-section and are arranged to face each other in the seat width direction. 
     The upper end portions of the right and left side frames  11  are connected to the upper frame  12  by welding with the upper frame  12  sandwiched therebetween in the front to back direction of the seat. 
     Further, the lower end portions of the right and left side frames  11  are connected to the lower frame  13  by welding. 
     A pair of headrest guides  16  for supporting a headrest pillar (not shown) is attached to a front surface of a center portion of the upper frame  12  in the seat width direction with a predetermined gap therebetween in the seat width direction. 
     The connection wire  14  is a wire member for supporting the occupant support member  15 , is bridged over each of the upper frame  12  and the lower frame  13 , and is disposed in pairs to be symmetrical with respect to the center line in the seat width direction of the back frame  10 . 
     The right and left connection wires  14  include a wire body portion  14   a  which is attached to the back surface of the occupant support member  15  and extends in a substantially linear shape in the up to down direction, a wire upper portion  14   b  which extends upward from the upper end portion of the wire body portion  14   a  while continuously extending outward in the seat width direction and is hooked to a hooking hole provided on the bottom surface of the upper frame  12 , and a wire lower portion  14   c  which continuously extends downward from the lower end portion of the wire body portion  14   a  and is hooked to a hooking portion provided on the front surface of the lower frame  13 . 
     The occupant support member  15  is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member formed of a resin material or the like and is attached to be movable backward with respect to the upper frame  12  and the lower frame  13 . 
     Further, the occupant support member  15  is disposed at a position closer to the lower frame  13  than the upper frame  12  in the up to down direction. Therefore, when the rear surface of the vehicle collides, particularly the upper body portion on the head side in the upper body of the occupant tends to sink into the seat back  1 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  3  and  4   , the cushion material  20  is formed of a resin material such as urethane foam and the surface (front surface) of the cushion material  20  is provided with a skin pull-in groove  21  for pulling the end of the skin material  30  shown in  FIG.  1    and a slit-shaped surface groove  23  disposed above the skin pull-in groove  21 . 
     Further, a back surface of a cushion front portion  20   a  shown in  FIG.  5    and disposed on the seat front side in relation to the back frame  10  in the cushion material  20  is provided with a slit-shaped back surface groove  24  which is disposed between the skin pull-in groove  21  and the surface groove  23  in the seat width direction and extends in the up to down direction. 
     The skin pull-in groove  21  is a substantially inverted U-shaped groove when viewed from the front side and is formed to be recessed toward the seat rear side with respect to the surface of the cushion material  20 . 
     The skin pull-in groove  21  mainly includes right and left pull-in groove side portions  21   a  which are formed on the surface of the cushion material  20  with a predetermined gap therebetween in the seat width direction and extend in the up to down direction, a pull-in groove upper portion  21   b  which extends in the seat width direction to connect the upper end portions of the right and left pull-in groove side portions  21   a , and a pull-in groove center portion  21   c  which extends in the seat width direction to connect the right and left pull-in groove side portions  21   a  at the substantial center portion of the cushion material  20  in the up to down direction. 
     As shown in  FIG.  4   , an insert wire  22  having a long, substantially circular cross-section is embedded at a position corresponding to the skin pull-in groove  21  inside the cushion material  20  (a position adjacent to the skin pull-in groove  21 ). 
     The insert wire  22  is a wire formed of a known metal material or hard resin material and extends along the skin pull-in groove  21 . A C-ring having a long, substantially C-shaped cross-section (not shown) provided at the terminal portion of the skin material  30  is hooked to the insert wire  22 . With the configuration, the skin material  30  is fixed to the cushion material  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  3  and  4   , the surface groove  23  is a substantially inverted U-shaped groove when viewed from the front side and is formed to adjust the flexibility and the bending direction of the cushion material  20 . 
     The surface groove  23  includes right and left surface groove side portions  23   a  which are formed on the right and left outer sides of the seat width direction in relation to the skin pull-in groove  21  on the surface of the cushion material  20  and extend in the up to down direction, a surface groove upper portion  23   b  which extends in the seat width direction to connect the upper end portions of the right and left surface groove side portions  23   a , and right and left surface groove lower portions  23   c  which are respectively continuous from the lower end portions of the right and left surface groove side portions  23   a  and extend downward while being inclined inward in the seat width direction. 
     The right and left surface groove side portions  23   a  extend in a substantially linear shape to be inclined inward in the seat width direction as it goes from the lower side to the upper side of the cushion material  20 . In other words, the right and left surface groove side portions are inclined upward on the inside of the seat width direction to approach the headrest  3 . Further, the right and left surface groove side portions are arranged at the intermediate portion between the outer end portion of the cushion material  20  and the skin pull-in groove  21  in the seat width direction. 
     The right and left surface groove lower portions  23   c  extend downward while being inclined inward in the seat width direction to approach the skin pull-in groove  21  (particularly, the pull-in groove center portion  21   c ) as it goes from the upper side to the lower side of the cushion material  20 . 
     Additionally, a predetermined gap is provided between the surface groove lower portion  23   c  and the skin pull-in groove  21  in order to ensure the rigidity of the cushion material  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  3  and  4   , the back surface groove  24  is a groove which is formed to adjust the flexibility and the bending direction of the cushion material  20  together with the surface groove  23  and extends in a substantially linear shape in the up to down direction. 
     The back surface groove  24  is formed pairs on the right and left sides with a predetermined gap therebetween in the seat width direction and extends in the up to down direction to be aligned with the right and left surface groove side portions  23   a.    
     Further, the right and left back surface grooves  24  are arranged at a position overlapping the right and left pull-in groove side portion  21   a  of the skin pull-in groove  21  in the up to down direction and are arranged at a position (equivalent height position) overlapping the pull-in groove upper portion  21   b  in the seat width direction. 
     Specifically, the right and left back surface grooves  24  are arranged to be aligned with the right and left pull-in groove side portions  21   a  in the up to down direction and are arranged to be aligned with the pull-in groove upper portion  21   b  in the seat width direction. 
     Additionally, a predetermined gap is provided between the back surface groove  24  and the skin pull-in groove  21  in order to ensure the rigidity of the cushion material  20 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  5  to  7   , the surface groove  23  (surface groove side portion  23   a ) is disposed at a position overlapping the side frame  11  in the front to back direction of the seat and is disposed in a range in which the back surface of the cushion material  20  comes into contact with the front surface of the side frame  11  in the seat width direction. 
     The same applies to the back surface groove  24 . As shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6   , at least a part of the back surface groove  24  extending in the up to down direction is disposed at a position overlapping the side frame  11  in the front to back direction of the seat and is disposed in a range in which the back surface of the cushion material  20  comes into contact with the front surface of the side frame  11  in the seat width direction. 
     Therefore, since particularly a portion provided with the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  in the cushion material  20  (cushion front portion  20   a ) is suitably supported by the back frame  10  during normal use, a good seating feeling can be provided. 
     On the other hand, since particularly a portion provided with the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  in the cushion material  20  extends in a bellows shape from the outer front side toward the inner rear side in the seat width direction to be easily bent at the time of a rear collision, the upper body of the occupant can suitably sink into the seat back  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , the surface groove  23  is disposed at a position overlapping a portion in which the side frame  11  and the upper frame  12  are assembled to form a closed cross-section in the front to back direction of the seat. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG.  6   , the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  are arranged at a position overlapping a portion, in which the side frame  11  and the upper frame  12  overlap each other in the front to back direction of the seat, in the front to back direction of the seat. 
     Therefore, since particularly a portion provided with the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  in the cushion material  20  is suitably supported by the back frame  10  during normal use, a good seating feeling can be provided. 
     As shown in  FIG.  6   , the front surface of the upper frame  12  located at a position corresponding to the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  extends from the outside toward the inside of the seat width direction while being inclined backward. 
     Specifically, the front surface of the upper frame  12  extends from the outside toward the inside of the seat width direction while coming into contact with the back surface of the cushion material  20  at a position facing the surface groove  23 . Then, the front surface extends from the outside toward the inside of the seat width direction while being inclined backward to be separated from the back surface of the cushion material  20  at a position facing the back surface groove  24 . 
     Therefore, at the time of a rear collision, particularly a portion provided with the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  in the cushion material  20  easily extends in a bellows shape from the outer front side toward the inner rear side of the seat width direction and can be easily bent. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  4  to  6   , the surface groove  23  (surface groove side portion  23   a ) and the back surface groove  24  are arranged at a position (equivalent height position) overlapping the skin pull-in groove  21  in the seat width direction. Specifically, these grooves are arranged at a position overlapping the upper portion of the pull-in groove side portion  21   a  and the pull-in groove upper portion  21   b  of the skin pull-in groove  21  in the seat width direction. 
     Therefore, at the time of a rear collision, particularly a portion provided with the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  in the cushion material  20  easily extends in a bellows shape to be easily bent. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6   , the groove depth of the surface groove  23  (surface groove side portion  23   a ) is formed to reach the seat rear side in relation to the center portion supporting the backrest portion of the seated occupant in the front surface of the cushion material  20 , in other words, a portion facing a portion in which the occupant support member  15  is disposed. 
     Further, the surface groove  23  is formed to be recessed toward the seat rear side and reach a center portion of a portion provided with the surface groove  23  of the cushion material  20  in the front to back direction of the seat. 
     The groove depth of the back surface groove  24  is formed to reach the seat front side in relation to a portion supporting the backrest portion of the seated occupant in the back surface of the cushion material  20 , in other words, a portion facing a portion in which the occupant support member  15  is disposed. 
     Further, the back surface groove  24  is formed to be recessed toward the seat front side and reach a center portion of a portion provided with the back surface groove  24  of the cushion material  20  in the front to back direction of the seat. 
     That is, the groove bottom portion of the surface groove  23  of the cushion material  20  is disposed to face the groove bottom portion of the back surface groove  24  and when the horizontal cross-section shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6    is viewed from above, the horizontal cross-section of the cushion material  20  is formed in a zigzag shape. 
     Therefore, at the time of a rear collision, particularly a portion provided with the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  in the cushion material  20  further easily extends in a bellows shape to be easily bent. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  5  and  6   , the surface groove  23  (surface groove side portion  23   a ) and the back surface groove  24  are arranged on the outside of the seat width direction in relation to the connection wire  14  and are arranged on the outside of the seat width direction in relation to the insert wire  22 . 
     As described above, since the surface groove  23  and the back surface groove  24  are arranged to avoid the connection wire  14  and the insert wire  22  having relatively high rigidity, the cushion material  20  can be more suitably bent at the time of a rear collision. 
     OTHER EMBODIMENTS 
     In the above-described embodiment, since the cushion material  20  is formed of a resin material such as urethane foam, it is preferable that the cushion side portion  20   d  has a higher hardness than the cushion center portion  20   c  when the inner portion of the surface groove  23  is a cushion center portion  20   c  and the outer portion of the surface groove  23  is a cushion side portion  20   d  in the seat width direction as shown in  FIG.  3   . 
     With the above-described configuration, the cushion center portion  20   c  can softly receive the seated occupant and the cushion side portion  20   d  can firmly hold and receive the occupant. 
     In order to mold the cushion material  20  so that the hardness is partially different, a known technique such as using a different urethane material can be adopted. 
     In the above-described embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  5  to  7   , since the back surface of the portion provided with the surface groove  23  (surface groove side portion  23   a ) of the cushion material  20  comes into contact with the surface of the side frame  11 , this can be changed without particular limitation. 
     That is, when the occupant is seated on the conveyance seat S, the back surface of the portion provided with the surface groove  23  in the cushion material  20  may come into contact with the surface of the side frame  11 . On the other hand, when the occupant is not seated, these surfaces may not in contact with each other (may be close to each other). 
     In the above-described embodiment, as shown in  FIGS.  5  to  7   , since a portion located on the outside of the back surface groove  24  of the cushion material  20  in the seat width direction is disposed at a position overlapping the side frame  11  in the front to back direction of the seat and is configured to come into contact with the surface of the side frame  11 , these can be changed without particular limitation. 
     That is, when the occupant is seated on the conveyance seat S, the back surface of the portion located on the outside of the back surface groove  24  of the cushion material  20  in the seat width direction may come into contact with the surface of the side frame  11 . On the other hand, when the occupant is not seated, the surfaces may not be in contact with each other (may be close to each other). 
     In the above-described embodiment, as shown in  FIG.  5   , the back surface groove  24  is disposed between the skin pull-in groove  21  and the surface groove  23  in the seat width direction. This can be changed without particular limitation and the back surface groove may be disposed on the outside of the skin pull-in groove  21  and the surface groove  23  in the seat width direction. 
     Even in the above-described configuration, at the time of a rear collision, the cushion material  20  extends in a bellows shape from the outside to the inside in the seat width direction, so that the cushion material  20  can be easily bent. 
     In the above-described embodiment, as a specific example, the vehicle seats used in automobiles have been described, but the seats are not particularly limited and can be used not only as vehicle seats for trains and buses, but also as vehicle seats for airplanes and ships. 
     In this embodiment, the conveyance seat according to the present invention has been mainly described. 
     However, the above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes an equivalent thereof. 
     In particular, the arrangement and configuration of the skin pull-in groove, the front surface groove, and the back surface groove of the cushion material described in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and do not limit the present invention. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
         S: conveyance seat 
           1 : seat back 
           2 : seat cushion 
           2   a ,  3   a : cushion material 
           2   b ,  3   b : skin material 
           3 : headrest 
           10 : back frame 
           11 : side frame 
           12 : upper frame 
           13 : lower frame 
           14 : connection wire 
           14   a : wire body portion 
           14   b : wire upper portion 
           14   c : wire lower portion 
           15 : occupant support member 
           16 : headrest guide 
           20 : cushion material 
           20   a : cushion front portion 
           20   b : cushion rear portion 
           20   c : cushion center portion 
           20   d : cushion side portion 
           21 : skin pull-in groove 
           21   a : pull-in groove side portion 
           21   b : pull-in groove upper portion 
           21   c : pull-in groove center portion 
           22 : insert wire 
           23 : surface groove 
           23   a : surface groove side portion 
           23   b : surface groove upper portion 
           23   c : surface groove lower portion 
           24 : back surface groove 
           30 : skin material