VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20140042784A1
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHK Spring Company Limited, Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHK Spring Company Limited, Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshitsuru, Masaya, Nishioka, Ryusuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,139,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/216.11
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0881 Activation of the latches by the control mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2893 coupled to the seat sub-frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4221 due to impact coming from the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/43 Safety locks for back-rests B60N2/433
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/68 Seat frames

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat that can prevent a front end portion of a child restraint system from sinking downward into a seat cushion when a forward impact force is applied to a vehicle body, and can also reduce the number of components and achieve weight saving. The vehicle seat includes a seat cushion and a slide rail 2, a locking mechanism is provided at the slide rail 2, a lock release handle 3 is suspended between the pair of right and left slide rails 2, the lock release handle 3 includes a first handle portion 3A and a second handle portion 3B, a front end portion of a reinforcement 23 is fixed to a front panel 22, the reinforcement 23 is provided with a coupling surface 31 to which a device mechanism 40 is coupled, the coupling surface 31 is inclined forwardly upward, and the coupling surface 31 is located on a front outer side from the second handle portion 3B as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the coupling surface 31.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat cushion on which a child restraint system can be installed; and

a pair of right and left slide rails that support the seat cushion so as to be slidable in a seat front-rear direction,

wherein locking mechanisms that lock the seat cushion to prevent the sliding of the seat cushion on the slide rails are provided at the pair of right and left slide rails,

a lock release handle that releases the lock by the locking mechanisms is suspended between the pair of right and left slide rails,

the lock release handle includes a first handle portion on a seat-widthwise center side, and a second handle portion that is located on a seat-widthwise outer side from the first handle portion, and extends obliquely backward from an end portion of the first handle portion so as to be located closer to a seat rear side toward the seat-widthwise outer side,

a seat frame of the seat cushion includes

a pair of right and left side frames,

a front panel that is suspended between front end portions of the pair of right and left side frames to form a front surface portion of the seat frame, and

a reinforcement that is suspended between front portions of the pair of right and left side frames so as to be located on the seat rear side from the front panel, and prevents a front end portion of the child restraint system from sinking downward into the seat cushion,

a front end portion of the reinforcement is fixed to the front panel,

the reinforcement is provided with a coupling surface to which a device mechanism is coupled from below,

the coupling surface is inclined forwardly upward so as to be located upward toward a seat front side, and

the coupling surface is located on a front outer side from the second handle portion as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the coupling surface.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

wherein the device mechanism is a tilt mechanism including a link mechanism that is interposed between the slide rail and the reinforcement, and raising and lowering means that raises and lowers a front end portion of the seat cushion,

the link mechanism is composed of a lower-side link member and an upper-side link member coupled together rotatably about a lateral axis,

a lower end portion of the lower-side link member is coupled to the slide rail rotatably about a lateral axis, and

an upper end portion of the upper-side link member is coupled to the coupling surface of the reinforcement.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

wherein the reinforcement is composed of a reinforcement upper wall, and a reinforcement front wall that extends downward from an end portion on the seat front side of the reinforcement upper wall,

the reinforcement front wall is inclined so as to be located closer to the seat front side toward a lower end portion side, and

the lower end portion of the reinforcement front wall is fixed to the front panel.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 3,

wherein the front panel is formed in an L shape in section, and is composed of a front panel upper wall, and a front panel front wall that extends downward from an end portion on the seat front side of the front panel upper wall.