Vehicle seat

• US 7,134,718 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd., Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ibaraki, Katsuya, Doi, Shunichi, Ogura, Yumi, Fujita, Etsunori, Yasuda, Eiichi, Kawasaki, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cranmer, Laurie K.
• Application Number:
  US10/422,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20030201659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 297/452.56, 297/216.14, 297/218.1, 297/472, 297/216.15, 297/216.13
• US Class Current: 297/216.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5883 by sewing, stitching or threading
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/70 Upholstery springs ; Upholstery

Abstract

An upper end portion of a seat backrest and a lower end portion of a head rest are superposed together. A rear end portion of an upper portion cushion member and a lower end portion of the seat backrest are superposed together. These superposed portions are sewn together by thin threads which break when pressing force of a predetermined value or greater is applied to the seat backrest. Thus, when pressing force of the predetermined value or greater is applied to the seat backrest, the thin threads break. A portion of the seat backrest which a shoulder portion of a seated occupant contacts, and a portion of the seat backrest which buttocks of the seated occupant contact, are enlarged, and impact force can be damped.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:

a frame;

a seat connected to said frame and having a seat cushion;

a backrest connected to said frame and having a backrest cushion that includes a buttocks-contact portion and a shoulder-contact portion; and

a backrest damping element, wherein

each of the seat cushion and the backrest cushion comprises a plurality of cells, each of the plurality of cells having a spring element which is configured to be compressed in a pressing direction of the seated occupant and to be extended in a direction opposite to the pressing direction so as to dampen compression and extension of the corresponding cell, and

the backrest damping element is formed by superposing the seat cushion and backrest cushion to each other by sewing threads or a semi-welded portion, such that the sewing threads break or the semi-welded portion peels apart when a predetermined impact force is applied from the back toward the front, thus causing the buttocks-contact portion to expand and allowing a waist portion of the seated occupant to sink downward, thereby damping the impact force on the seated occupant.

2. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the backrest damping element is configured such that a damping ratio in the pressing direction of the cushion material of the backrest changes by 0.1 or more before and after the reaction against the impact force.

3. A vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the backrest damping element is configured such that the damping ratio in the pressing direction of the cushion material of the backrest changes by 0.6 or less before and after the reaction against the impact force.

4. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein backrest damping element is configured such that a damping ratio in the pressing direction of the cushion material of the backrest changes by 0.2 or more and 0.6 or less before and after the reaction against the impact force.

5. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the backrest damping element is configured by increasing flexure of the backrest due to the reaction against the impact force.

6. A vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the flexure of the backrest is increased by plastically deforming the backrest due to the reaction against the impact force.

7. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cells are arranged in a lattice form.

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of cells includes a plurality of first cells of a first size, and a plurality of second cells of a second size which is greater than the first size.

9. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a structure of the cushion material is a three-dimensional mesh structure.

10. A vehicle seat according to claim 9, wherein the structure of the cushion material is formed by:

a pair of knit fabrics disposed so as to be separate from one another; and

a pile portion formed by a plurality of connecting threads which join the pair of knit fabrics.

11. A vehicle seat according to claim 10, wherein, one of the pair of knit fabrics has a plurality of flat oval holes arranged in a lattice form, and a plurality of first cells having a first size and a plurality of second cells having a second size greater than the first size are formed in a lattice form among the holes.

12. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising:

a head rest; and

a headrest damping element formed by superposing the headrest and backrest cushion to each other by sewing threads or a semi-welded portion, such that the sewing threads break or the semi-welded portion peels apart when an impact force is applied from the back toward the front causing the shoulder-contact portion to expand.

13. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, the backrest damping element comprising:

a connecting member connecting a rear end portion of the seat cushion with a lower end portion of the backrest cushion; and

a shaft and corresponding support unit connected to a point where the seat cushion and backrest cushion are superposed.