Tilt arm for seat and vehicle seat

• US 10,227,022 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimura, Masahide, Shinozaki, Yushi, Nonoyama, Shota
• Primary Examiner(s): White, Rodney B
• Application Number:
  US15/705,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20180079327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 29728411
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1835 pivoting about an axis located in the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1839 pivoting about an axis located in an intermediate position
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1857 Eccentric mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2893 coupled to the seat sub-frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6009 covering more than only the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/62 Thigh-rests B60N2/914 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/682 Joining means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/995 Lower-leg-rests, e.g. calf-rests

Abstract

Provided is a tilt arm for a seat that is applied to a vehicle seat and that moves in a pivoting manner when changing an angle of inclination of a front end portion of a cushion pad. The tilt arm includes a coupling arm portion pivotably coupled to a side frame of a cushion frame, and a leading-end-side arm portion coupled and fixed to a leading end portion of the coupling arm portion. A sectional shape of a fixed portion, where the coupling arm portion and the leading-end-side arm portion are coupled and fixed to each other, is a closed sectional shape formed by a closed curve. A sectional shape of the coupling arm portion at the fixed portion and a sectional shape of the leading-end-side arm portion at the fixed portion are each an open sectional shape that is partially opened.

Claims

1. A tilt arm for a seat to be applied to a vehicle seat, the tilt arm supporting a cushion pad together with a cushion frame and movable in a pivoting manner when changing an angle of inclination of a front end portion of the cushion pad, the tilt arm comprising:

a coupling arm portion pivotably coupled to a side frame of the cushion frame; and

a leading-end-side arm portion coupled and fixed to a leading end portion of the coupling arm portion at a fixed portion of the tilt arm, wherein

a first plate member constitutes the coupling arm portion and a second plate member constitutes the leading-end-side arm portion,

in a side view of the tilt arm, the coupling arm portion and the leading-end-side arm portion are coupled and fixed to each other at the fixed portion so as to overlap with each other in a plate thickness direction at at least two portions such that a space is defined between the coupling arm portion and the leading-end-side arm portion, and

the at least two portions comprise a first portion and a second portion, and an overlapping direction at the first portion is a direction intersecting with an overlapping direction at the second portion.

2. The tilt arm for a seat according to claim 1,

wherein the overlapping direction at the first portion is substantially parallel to a seat width direction, and the overlapping direction at the second portion is substantially parallel to a vertical direction.

3. The tilt arm for a seat according to claim 1,

wherein a lower end position at a leading end portion of the leading-end-side arm portion is positioned vertically lower than a lower end position of the leading-end-side arm at the fixed portion.

4. A vehicle seat comprising:

a cushion pad comprising;

a seating face pad portion to support buttocks of an occupant; and

a side pad portion provided to a portion adjacent to the seating face pad portion in a seat width direction;

a displacement mechanism that comprises the tilt arm according to claim 3 and that causes a seat front end portion of the seating face pad portion to be displaced; and

a support member to support a seat front end portion of the side pad portion, the support member comprising a planar support portion that is in surface contact with the side pad portion to support the side pad portion.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 4,

wherein the planar support portion comprises a first receiving surface configured to be in surface contact with the side pad portion so as to be able to receive a load applied in a vertical direction.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 4,

wherein the planar support portion comprises a second receiving surface configured to be in surface contact with the side pad portion so as to be able to receive a load applied in a seat front-rear direction.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 4,

wherein the planar support portion comprises a third receiving surface configured to be in surface contact with the side pad portion so as to be able to receive a load applied in the seat width direction.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 4,

wherein the side pad portion comprises:

an outer pad positioned on a seat width direction outer side of the seating face pad portion; and

an inner pad positioned on a seat width direction inner side of the seating face pad portion,

wherein the planar support portion comprises;

an outer support portion in surface contact with the outer pad; and

an inner support portion in surface contact with the inner pad,

wherein the outer support portion comprises an outer receiving surface configured to be in surface contact with the outer pad so as to be able to receive a load applied in the seat width direction,

wherein the inner support portion comprises an inner receiving surface configured to be in surface contact with the inner pad so as to be able to receive the load applied in the seat width direction, and

wherein the outer receiving surface comes in surface contact with the outer pad from a first end side in the seat width direction, and the inner receiving surface comes in surface contact with the inner pad from the first end side in the seat width direction.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 4,

wherein the support member is provided to a leading end portion of the tilt arm.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 9 comprising:

a cushion frame to support the cushion pad;

a shield that is supported by the cushion frame and that covers at least part of a side of the cushion frame;

a first protrusion that is provided to the cushion frame and that protrudes in a direction intersecting with the seat width direction, the first protrusion being inserted into a first insertion hole arranged to the shield; and

a second protrusion that is provided to the cushion frame and that protrudes in a direction parallel to the first protrusion, the second protrusion being inserted into a second insertion hole arranged to the shield,

wherein an inserting-direction length of a portion of the first protrusion inserted into the first insertion hole is longer than an inserting-direction length of a portion of the second protrusion inserted into the second insertion hole.

11. The vehicle seat according to claim 10,

wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion each protrude in the seat front-rear direction.

12. The vehicle seat according to claim 11,

wherein the second protrusion protrudes in a same direction as the first protrusion.

13. The vehicle seat according to claim 10,

wherein the first protrusion is provided lower than the second protrusion.

14. The vehicle seat according to claim 13,

wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion are provided to the tilt arm for a seat and protrude in a direction from a rear side toward a front side in the seat front-rear direction, and

wherein the shield comprises:

a front-side shield portion that comprises the first insertion hole and the second insertion hole and that moves in a pivoting manner integrally with the tilt arm for a seat; and

a rear-side shield portion fixed to the cushion frame.

15. The vehicle seat according to claim 9 comprising:

a cushion frame to support the cushion pad;

a shield that is supported by the cushion frame and that covers at least part of a side of the cushion frame;

a first protrusion that is provided to the shield and that protrudes in a direction intersecting with the seat width direction, the first protrusion being inserted into a first insertion hole arranged to the cushion frame; and

a second protrusion that is provided to the shield and that protrudes in a direction parallel to the first protrusion, the second protrusion being inserted into a second insertion hole arranged to the cushion frame,

wherein an inserting-direction length of a portion of the first protrusion inserted into the first insertion hole is longer than an inserting-direction length of a portion of the second protrusion inserted into the second insertion hole.

16. The vehicle seat according to claim 9 comprising:

a cushion frame to support the cushion pad;

a shield that is supported by the cushion frame and that covers at least part of a side of the cushion frame;

a first protrusion that is provided to the cushion frame and that protrudes in a direction intersecting with the seat width direction, the first protrusion being inserted into a first insertion hole arranged to the shield; and

a second protrusion that is provided to the shield and that protrudes in a direction parallel to the first protrusion, the second protrusion being inserted into a second insertion hole arranged to the cushion frame,

wherein an inserting-direction length of a portion of the first protrusion inserted into the first insertion hole is longer than an inserting-direction length of a portion of the second protrusion inserted into the second insertion hole.

17. The vehicle seat according to claim 9 comprising:

a cushion frame to support the cushion pad;

a shield that is supported by the shield and that covers at least part of a side of the cushion frame;

a first protrusion that is provided to the shield and that protrudes in a direction intersecting with the seat width direction, the first protrusion being inserted into a first insertion hole arranged to the cushion frame; and

a second protrusion that is provided to the cushion frame and that protrudes in a direction parallel to the first protrusion, the second protrusion being inserted into a second insertion hole arranged to the shield,

wherein an inserting-direction length of a portion of the first protrusion inserted into the first insertion hole is longer than an inserting-direction length of a portion of the second protrusion inserted into the second insertion hole.