Lumber supporting device for vehicle seat

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field]

The present invention relates to a lumbar support device used for a front seat of a vehicle.

【0002】

[Previous technology and its problems]

A lumbar support device is provided in the seat to support the driver's lumbar region from behind when the driver (occupant) desires. Various structures have been proposed and put into practical use for this lumbar support device, but the conventional product has a structure in which a rigid body directly advances and retreats inside a cushion material or a contour mat (sudare-shaped mat) in a seat, and is used. There was a problem that it felt bad. In other words, when the lumbar support device is turned on, the rigid body directly presses the driver's lumbar region through the cushioning material and the spring material of the contour mat, which impairs the cushioning property unique to the contour mat, and the driver hits the lumbar region with a line. feel.

【0003】

[Purpose of Invention]

The present invention is based on the above awareness of the problems of the conventional lumbar support device, and obtains a lumbar support device that can obtain an appropriate feeling of support for the lumbar region in the ON state without impairing the cushioning property of the contour mat. The purpose.

【0004】

[Summary of Invention]

In the present invention, the contour mat elastically supported in the seat back frame via a spring member has vertical frame members on the left and right sides thereof, and if the vertical frame members are elastically moved back and forth, cushioning property is provided. It was made based on the idea that it is possible to give an appropriate feeling of support to the lumbar region without damaging the driver and giving the driver a feeling of hitting the line.

【0005】

The lumbar support device according to the present invention has a seat back frame having left and right vertical members; a pair of vertical frame members located inside the left and right vertical members of the seat back frame, and the seat via a spring member. Elastically supported contour mats within the back frame; with engaging parts that engage the left and right vertical frame members of this contour mat, at least at the occupant's waist position, rotate around the left and right vertical members of the seat back frame, respectively. The arm members that are movably supported; and the left and right arm members are reciprocated so that the left and right vertical frame members of the contour mat engaged with the left and right arm members move back and forth around the rotation axis. It is characterized by having a drive mechanism;

【0006】

The drive mechanism is, for example, a linking wire that connects a straight-moving member to be reciprocated, the straight-moving member, and the left and right arm members, respectively, and synchronizes the left and right arm members by the reciprocating motion of the straight-moving member to drive in the same direction. It can be composed of members. The linear member can be moved in the forward and reverse directions by, for example, a feed screw mechanism or a worm wheel mechanism, and its drive source can be an electric motor or a manual knob.

【0007】

Further, instead of the drive mechanism using the linking wire member, it is also possible to use a drive motor and a deceleration mechanism that independently drive the left and right arm members. The left and right drive motors can be synchronized electrically.

【0008】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the lumbar support device according to the present invention. The seat back frame 10 has vertical members (vertical brackets) 11 on the left and right sides thereof, and the horizontal members 12 are connected to the upper ends of the vertical members 11. The contour mat 20 located in the seat back frame 10 has a flat plate shape as a whole, and has an outer frame having a left and right vertical frame members 21 and a lower frame member 22 connecting the left and right vertical frame members 21. It has 23, and a plurality of horizontal spring materials 24 are connected between the left and right vertical frame members 21. The left and right vertical frame members 21 of the contour mat 20 and the left and right vertical members 11 of the seat back frame 10 are connected via flexible wires 25, respectively. The flexible wire 25 can replace the tension coil spring. The above is the normal internal structure excluding the cushion material of the front seat of the vehicle having the contour mat.

【0009】

Brackets 31 are fixed to the left and right vertical members 11 of the seat back frame 10, respectively, and an arm member 33 is pivotally attached to the fixed brackets 31 by a vertical rotation shaft 32. A hook portion (engagement portion) 33a that engages with the vertical frame member 21 of the contour mat 20 is formed at the tip portion of the arm member 33, and the left and right arm members 33 move back and forth around the vertical axis 32. When the contour mat 20 is oscillated, the left and right vertical frame members 21 of the contour mat 20 move back and forth. The height position of the arm member 33 corresponds to the waist position of the driver (occupant) sitting on the seat, and is provided at a position that does not interfere with the flexible wire 25. According to the above configuration, the left and right vertical frame members 21 of the contour mat 20 can be moved back and forth by giving the left and right arm members 33 a symmetrical swinging motion centered on the vertical axis 32. When the frame member 21 is moved forward, it can function as a lumbar support that supports the driver's waist.

【0010】

Next, an embodiment of a mechanism for reciprocating the left and right arm members 33 will be described. A motor bracket 35 is fixed to one of the left and right vertical members 11 of the seat back frame 10. As is clear from FIG. 2, the motor bracket 35 is fixed to the motor unit 36 with the rotating shaft 36a oriented in the vertical direction. A nut member (straight member) 37 including a nut 37a and an elevating bracket 37b fixed to the nut 37a is screwed onto the rotating shaft 36a. Of course, the nut 37a and the elevating bracket 37b may be configured as an integral member in advance to form a nut member. The nut member 37 (elevating bracket 37b) is formed with a protrusion 37c that is slidably fitted in the vertical guide groove 35a formed in the motor bracket 35. Therefore, the nut member 37 moves up and down when the rotation shaft 36a of the motor unit 36 is rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions.

【0011】

The nut member 37 (elevating bracket 37b) and the left and right arm members 33 are connected by a pair of push-pull wires 40. The push-pull wire 40 is composed of an inner cable 40a and an outer cable 40b, and the ends of the pair of push-pull wires 40 on the inner cable 40a on the nut member 37 side are opposite positions in the radial direction about the rotation shaft 36a. The outer cable 40b is fixed to the inner cable fixing portion 37d of the nut member 37 (elevating bracket 37b) formed in the above, and each outer cable 40b is formed on the motor bracket 35 corresponding to the position of the inner cable fixing portion 37d of the nut member 37. It is fixed to the cable fixing part 35b.

【0012】

The other ends of the pair of push-pull wires 40 are guided to the left and right arm members 33, respectively, each inner cable 40a is prevented from coming off by the inner cable fixing portion 11a of the vertical member 11, and the outer cable 40b is an arm member. It is fixed to the outer cable fixing part 33b of 33. The push-pull wire 40 is bent and arranged in the seat back by utilizing its flexibility.

【0013】

Therefore, when the rotating shaft 36a is driven in the forward and reverse directions by the motor unit 36, the lumbar support device having the above configuration causes the nut member 37 whose rotation is restricted by the engagement between the detent projection 37c and the straight guide groove 35a to move up and down. To do. As described above, one end and the other end of the pair of inner cables 40a are fixed to the pair of inner cable fixing portions 37d of the nut member 37 and the left and right vertical members 11, respectively, and one end of the pair of outer cables 40b. Since the other part and the other end are fixed to the outer cable fixing part 35b of the motor bracket 35 and the outer cable fixing part 33b of the arm member 33, respectively, the nut member 37 moves up and down to move the inner cable of the push-pull wire 40. When one end of the 40a is pushed and pulled, the outer cable 40b moves relative to the inner cable 40a, and the left and right arm members 33 are given a symmetrical swinging motion centered on the vertical axis 32.

【0014】

Specifically, when the nut member 37 is lowered in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left and right arm members 33 rotate forward about the vertical axis 32, and the hook portion 33a causes the left and right vertical frames of the contour mat 20. Push the material 21 forward (move it downward in Fig. 3) to strongly support the driver's lumbar region. That is, the lumbar support is turned on. On the contrary, when the nut member 37 rises, the left and right arm members 33 rotate backward about the vertical axis 32, and the left and right vertical frame members 21 of the contour mat 20 are lowered backward (moved upward in FIG. 3). ), Turn off the lumbar support. The left and right vertical frame members 21 of the contour mat can be elastically deformed by a certain distance in the left-right direction due to the elastic deformation of the outer frame body 23 and the elasticity of the lateral spring material 24, and can sufficiently correspond to the above-mentioned ON / OFF of the lumbar support. .. In FIG. 3, for convenience of illustration, the arm member 33 is drawn on one side of the vertical member 11 and the nut member 37 is drawn on the other side of the seat back frame 10, but in reality, from FIGS. 1 and 2. As is clear, the arm member 33 is symmetrically supported by the left and right longitudinal members 11.

【0015】

The strength of the support force when the lumbar support is ON can be adjusted steplessly by the stepless movement of the nut member 37. Even if a driver's load is applied to the contour mat 20 and a force in the ascending / descending direction is applied to the nut member 37, the nut member 37 cannot rotate relative to the rotating shaft 36a, and the rotating shaft 36a does not rotate. The mat 20 (left and right arm members 33) does not move and the support force is not weakened.

【0016】

The above embodiment is one configuration example suitable for synchronously driving the left and right arm members 33 by a single motor unit 36, but the drive structure of the pair of arm members 33 is deformable. For example, the left and right arm members 33 may be provided with a drive mechanism having a drive motor and a reduction mechanism, respectively. The left and right arm members 33 can be electrically synchronized. Further, also in the illustrated embodiment, it is possible to use a manual rotation mechanism instead of the motor unit 36. Further, in the above embodiment, the nut member 37 as a straight-moving member is moved straight forward and backward by the feed screw mechanism, but a mechanism such as a worm wheel mechanism that changes the rotary motion into a straight-moving motion can also be applied.

【0017】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, according to the lumbar support device of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a lumbar support device that can provide an appropriate feeling of support for the lumbar region without giving the driver a feeling of line contact. Further, the arm members rotatably supported by the left and right vertical members of the seat back frame are connected to the reciprocating driving straight member, and the straight member and the left and right arm members are connected to each other, and the straight member reciprocates. Assuming a wire drive type having a linking wire member that synchronizes the left and right arm members and drives them in the same direction by motion, an interlocking link mechanism that supports the left and right sides of the contour mat between the left and right vertical members of the seat back frame. It is possible to reduce the weight as compared with the conventional device that presses with. Further, in the wire drive type, the drive source (for example, an electric motor) of the straight-moving member can be provided so as to be separated from the left and right arm members, so that the degree of freedom of arrangement is increased. Therefore, it can be applied (deployed) to various vehicle models.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is an overall perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the lumbar support device by this invention.

[Figure 2]

It is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the drive system.

[Fig. 3]

It is a side sectional view which shows the lumbar support OFF state of the lumbar support device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 seat back frame 11 Vertical material 11a Inner cable fixing part 20 contour mat 21 Vertical frame material 23 Outer frame 24 Lateral spring material 25 Flexible wire 31 Fixed bracket 32 Vertical axis (rotation axis) 33 Arm member 33a Hook part (engagement part) 33b Outer cable fixing part 35 motor bracket 35a Straight guide groove 35b Outer cable fixing part 36 motor unit 36a axis of rotation 37 Nut member 37c Anti-rotation protrusion 37d inner cable fixing part 40 push-pull wire 40a inner cable 40b outer cable