Seat for vehicle

• US 6,176,543 B1
• Filed: 10/13/1998
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiroshige, Atsushi, Nawata, Katsumi, Sekizuka, Makoto, Tamura, Hiroshi, Yamasaki, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US09/169,950
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 296/189, 296/68.1, 296/63, 296/65.01, 296/188, 297/216.1
• US Class Current: 296/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42709 involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42745 of the back-rest B60N2/433 takes precedence; higher part of the back-rest moving together with the headrest B60N2/888

Abstract

A flange is formed at an upper edge of a lower arm, and the strength of an upper portion of the lower arm is set to be greater than the strength of a lower portion thereof. A fragile portion is formed in a longitudinally intermediate portion of the lower arm, and when an impact of a predetermined value or greater is applied in the rearward direction of the vehicle during a rear collision of the vehicle, the lower arm is adapted to absorb the impact by undergoing deformation beginning at the fragile portion. In addition, with respect to the load applied to the seat back from the rear by luggage or the like during a front collision of the vehicle, the deformation of the lower arm can be effectively suppressed by the flange.

Claims

1. A seat for a vehicle comprising:

a side wall portion of a seat cushion frame for supporting a seat back, said side wall portion being deformed when a load applied to said seat back during a rear collision of the vehicle reaches a predetermined value or greater, so as to absorb an impact applied to a seated vehicle occupant; and

a fragile portion where deformation begins is formed at said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame,

wherein said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame is supported by a vehicle body by front and rear fixing portions, and undergoes deformation between the front and rear fixing portions.

2. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said fragile portion is a bent portion having a step in a transverse direction of the vehicle.

3. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said bent portion is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical direction of said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame such that a lower portion of said bent portion is closer to a rear of the vehicle than an upper portion of said bent portion.

4. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said fragile portion is a notch.

5. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein said fragile portion is a substantially triangular notch at whose bottom portion there is provided a projecting member which projects outwardly of the seat.

6. The scat for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a front link and a rear link which are respectively disposed at said fixing portions to connect the vehicle body and said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame;

wherein said front link has an extendable portion that extends in a direction in which a distance between link connecting points formed at opposite ends of said front link is increased when the load applied to said scat back during the rear collision of the vehicle reaches a predetermined value or greater.

7. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said extendable portion is a bent portion having a step in a transverse direction of the vehicle at a substantially intermediate portion of said front link.

8. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said extendable portion is formed in such a manner as to project curvedly at a substantially intermediate portion of said front link.

9. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

deformation-amount adjusting means for preventing said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame from deforming by a predetermined amount or more.

10. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said deformation-amount adjusting means comprises a projection formed at the rear end of said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame, and a flange which is formed at a vehicle body so as to face said projection.

11. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising:

deformed-state maintaining means for maintaining said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame in a deformed state when an amount of deformation of said side wall portion reaches a predetermined value.

12. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said deformation-amount adjusting means is a pin-shaped projection formed at a rear end of said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame, and said deformed-state maintaining means is an engagement portion formed at the vehicle body, and when an amount of deformation of said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame reaches a predetermined value, said pin-shaped projection engages said engagement portion.

13. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein said engagement portion is a serrated portion.

14. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame is mounted to a vehicle body via a body mounted portion, a fixing bracket fixing said body mounted portion to the vehicle body is mounted to a front end portion of said body mounted portion, and when a load of a predetermined value or greater is applied to said body mounted portion in a direction toward a rear of the vehicle, said fixing bracket deforms so as to absorb an impact by the load.

15. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 14, wherein a fixing hole is formed in said fixing bracket, the fixing hole being formed by a substantially circular portion and a slit-shaped portion communicating with the substantially circular portion.

16. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 14, wherein an extendable portion which is a curved shape is formed at said fixing bracket.

17. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame has reinforcing means for enhancing the strength of an upper portion of said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame relative to the strength of a lower portion thereof.

18. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the strength of the reinforcing means at the vehicle transverse direction inner-side side wall portion of said seat frame is greater than the strength of the reinforcing means at the vehicle transverse direction outer-side side wall portion of said seat frame.

19. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 17, wherein a flange is formed on the upper edge of said side wall portion of said seat cushion.

20. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 17, wherein a bead extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction is formed on an upper portion of said side wall portion of said seat cushion.

21. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said side wall portion is deformable such that a lower portion of said side wall portion is compressed in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the load applied to said seat back during the rear collision of the vehicle has reached the predetermined value or greater.

22. The seat for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said side wall portion is deformable such that a lower portion of said side wall portion is deformed so as to project outwardly of the seat in a transverse direction of the vehicle when the load applied to said seat back during the rear collision of the vehicle has reached the predetermined value or greater.

23. A seat for a vehicle comprising:

a side wall portion of a scat cushion frame for supporting a scat back, said side wall portion being deformed when a load applied to said seat back during a rear collision of the vehicle reaches a predetermined value or greater, so as to absorb an impact applied to a seated vehicle occupant;

a fragile portion where deformation begins is formed at said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame;

front links and rear links for connecting a vehicle body and said side wall portion of said seat cushion frame,

wherein said fragile portion is formed at a substantially central portion of said side wall portion in a longitudinal direction thereof.