JP2003225137A - Headrest device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve the versatility of a headrest device. A stay (2) includes a pair of vertical support rods (22) supported by a seat back (10) and a horizontal support rod (21) connecting the two vertical support rods (22), and a predetermined frictional force is applied to the horizontal support rod (21). Plate 4 that is swingably fixed while holding
And a cover 5 which is formed separately from the plate 4 by a resin material, is fixed to the plate 4 and covers at least a part of the plate 4 and the stay 2, and has a space which allows the vertical support rod portion 22 to move. That it has a configuration.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a headrest device for a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a headrest device having a mechanism for adjusting the headrest position according to the head position of an occupant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of headrest device, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-388 is known. This device includes a stay that includes a pair of vertical support rods supported by a seat back and a horizontal support rod that connects them, and a stay that can swing while maintaining a predetermined frictional force with respect to the horizontal support rods. The holding plate and the cover formed of a resin material so as to include the plate and the stay therein are provided.

In this apparatus, a resin cover is integrally formed with a plate or stay. On the other hand, this cover requires a space around the vertical supporting rod portion inside.
This is because the cover allows the cover to swing with respect to the stay. The swinging of the cover realizes the function of adjusting the headrest position and is an essential function of the headrest. And
In this conventional device, a mold was used to form this space. That is, the cover is integrally formed around the vertical support rod portion in a state where the mold is arranged, and then the mold is pulled out along the vertical support rod portion to form a space.

However, this device has the following problems. In order to remove the mold along the vertical support bar portion, the vertical support bar needs to extend linearly from the cover. Here, the vertical support rod portion supports the plate and the cover of the headrest device with respect to the seat back, and in a general vehicle, the vertical support rod portion is formed by appropriately bending in the vehicle front direction. There are also things. This is a shape determined from the viewpoint of ensuring the function of the headrest device. That is,
This is because the headrest device has a function of supporting the gravity of the seat occupant's head toward the rear of the vehicle, and therefore it is necessary to secure the supporting force of the headrest device at a predetermined amount or more. As described above, the conventional device has a problem that it is difficult to establish the type in which the vertical support rod portion is bent appropriately. That is,
There was a problem that versatility was low.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to improve the versatility of a headrest device.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the technical means taken in the present invention is to provide a pair of vertical support rod portions supported by a seat back and a horizontal connecting rod portion for connecting the vertical support rod portions. A stay including a supporting rod portion, a plate fixed to the lateral supporting rod portion so as to be capable of swinging while holding a predetermined frictional force, and a plate formed of a resin material separately from the plate and then fixed to the plate. And a cover that covers at least a part of the plate and the stay and that includes a space that allows the vertical support rod portion to move.

In this structure, the cover has a space that allows the vertical support rod portion to move. Therefore, it is possible to swing with respect to the stay integrally with the plate. The cover is characterized in that it is fixed to the plate or the like after being molded separately from the plate and the stay. That is, since the space is molded before being fixed to the plate or the like, a step of removing the space forming mold along the vertical support rod portion after the fixing is unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a headrest device in which the vertical support rod portion is bent, and the versatility thereof is improved.

[0008] Preferably, the plate is arranged on the seat back side from the lateral support rod portion. Normally, as a headrest device, a vertical support rod portion extends upward from an upper portion of a seat back and is supported, and the vertical support rod portion is linked by the horizontal support rod portion. Further, in this configuration, the plate is arranged on the seat back side from the lateral support rod portion. That is, the plate is swingably fixed to the horizontal support rod portion at the upper portion of the plate, and the plate is configured to extend below the horizontal support rod portion. The cover that covers the plate is also configured to hang down from the lateral support rod portion, that is, the lower side of the cover swings. Therefore, the head of the seat occupant is mainly supported by the lateral support rod portion which is a rigid body, and the supporting force becomes stable.

Preferably, the cover is provided with an abutting portion that abuts on the stay and restricts swinging of the cover with respect to the stay. In this structure, the swinging of the cover is restricted by the contact portion.

Preferably, the cover is a first cover,
It is preferable that a second cover, the first cover, and a linkage portion that rotatably links the second cover are provided, and the first cover and the second cover sandwich the stay and the plate. In this configuration, the cover includes the first cover, the second cover, and the link portion, and the first cover and the second cover rotate by the link portion to sandwich the stay and the plate to cover the stay. That is, since the cover can be handled as an integrated body, the assembling process can be simplified.

Preferably, the convex frame is formed along the outer circumference of either the first cover or the second cover, and the outer circumference of the other one of the first cover and the second cover. It is preferable to have a configuration in which a concave frame that is formed and fits with the convex frame is provided. With this configuration, the fitting of the convex frame and the concave frame improves the airtightness of the outer peripheral portions of the first cover and the second cover. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the cover after the cover is assembled.

Preferably, the plate has a hole,
The first cover may include a first connecting pin that is inserted into the hole, and the second cover may include a second connecting pin that can be fitted to the first connecting pin. In this configuration, the relative position of the plate and the cover in the horizontal direction with respect to the plate surface is regulated by the hole and the first connecting pin. Therefore, the assembling accuracy is improved.

Preferably, the first connecting pin includes a step portion capable of abutting on the plate surface around the hole portion, and the second connecting pin abutting on the plate rear surface around the hole portion. It is preferable that the plate includes a shape portion and the plate is sandwiched between the step portion and the flat shape portion. With this configuration,
The relative position of the plate and the cover in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface is restricted by the step portion and the flat portion sandwiching the plate and the cover. Therefore, the assembling accuracy is improved.

Preferably, the contact surface of the step portion is inclined with respect to the surface of the plate. In this configuration, since the step portion is inclined, the difference in plate thickness can be absorbed by the inclined portion. Therefore, even with plates having different thicknesses, the stepped portion and the flat-shaped portion can stably hold the plates.

It is preferable that at least one of the first cover and the second cover is provided with a rib that engages with the lateral support rod portion. In this configuration, the first cover and the second cover are engaged with the lateral support rod portion by the ribs. Therefore, the relative position of the cover and the stay is regulated, and there is no backlash. Further, by sliding the rib on the lateral support rod portion, the cover can be stably swung about the lateral support rod portion.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the headrest device 1 supports the head of an occupant sitting on a vehicle seat (not shown). The headrest device 1 mainly includes a stay 2 and a headrest body 3.
The stay 2 supports the headrest body 3 above the seat back 10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stay 2 has a lateral support rod portion 21 having a substantially circular cross section, and a lateral support rod portion 21 on the left and right sides. It is composed of a pair of vertical support rods 22 extending from both ends toward the lower side of the vehicle (downward in FIG. 2), and has a U-shaped inverted shape. As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical support rod portion 22 is locked to the seat back 10. Also, the headrest body 3
Is composed of a plate 4, a cover 5 and a pad 6. The plate 4 is rotatably fixed to the lateral support rod portion 21. The cover 5 is configured to cover the movable member 7 including the plate 4 and the stay 2. The plate 4 and the cover 5 form a rigid body portion of the headrest device 1, and the outer side of the cover 5 is covered with a pad 6 made of a molded urethane foam material.

Next, the plate 4 of the headrest body 3,
The details of the configurations of the cover 5 and the stay 2 will be described.

First, FIG. 2 shows the movable member 7 in a state where the plate 4 is assembled to the stay 2. The plate 4 is attached to a substantially central portion in the axial direction of the lateral support rod portion 21 of the stay 2. The plate 4 has a structure in which the horizontal support rod portion 21 is sandwiched in the vertical direction of the paper surface shown in FIG. That is, the plate 4 has a portion overlapping in the vertical direction of the paper surface of FIG. 2, and two hole portions 41 are formed on one side of the overlapping plate 4. On the other side, a hole (not shown) is formed so as to have a so-called burring part (not shown) whose periphery projects annularly.
Are formed. Then, the burring portion is inserted into the hole portion 41, and after insertion, the head of the burring portion is crushed and swaged so as to expand to the outer side in the radial direction of the hole portion 41, and the plate 4 is laterally supported. Is locked to. Then, by adjusting the caulking height of the head portion of the burring portion, a predetermined rotational frictional force characteristic of the plate 4 on the lateral support rod portion 21 is adjusted. As another method of adjusting this tightening force, a tightening means using bolts and nuts may be used. Since the plate 4 is small, it is easy to handle when it is attached to the stay 2. Furthermore, since the shape is simple, even if a large tensile load is applied during winding, deformation other than the winding portion is small, and stable friction characteristics are easily obtained. Two holes 42 (holes) are further formed below the hole 41 in FIG.
Details of the hole 42 will be described later.

Next, the cover 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. The cover 5 is entirely made of a single resin, and is disposed on the movable member 7 after being formed. The cover 5 is roughly the front cover 51 (first
A cover), a rear cover 52 (second cover), and a hinge portion 53 (linkage portion) that rotatably links the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 relative to each other. The front cover 51 is a movable part 7.
From the front of the vehicle (from the left in FIG. 1), the rear cover 52 covers the movable portion 7 from the rear of the vehicle (from the right in FIG. 1), and both covers sandwich the movable member 7. Incidentally, FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the front cover 51 is arranged on the movable member 7. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 are open and is viewed from the outside of the cover 5. As can be inferred from FIG. 3, the cover 5 has a line-symmetrical shape in the vehicle width direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3, hereinafter referred to as the width direction). Only about.

As shown in particular detail in FIGS. 5 and 6 (see FIG.
6 also shows the insides of the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52, each showing half in the width direction.) Three combinations of the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 are formed on both covers. It is made by a snap mechanism and a locking mechanism. The snap mechanism corresponds to the convex snap 31 (first connecting pin) (only one is shown in FIG. 5) formed side by side in the width direction on the front cover 51 and the convex snap 31 on the rear cover 52. There are two recessed snaps 32 (second connecting pins) formed in the position (only one is shown in FIG. 6), and they are fitted together. In addition, as the snap mechanism, there are a convex snap 33 and a concave snap 34 which are respectively formed at the center of the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 in the width direction. There is. As the locking mechanism, there are a locking claw 35 and a locking hole 36 formed in the center of the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 in the width direction, respectively, and these are fitted together. Further, as the locking mechanism, there are two locking claws 37 and two locking holes 38 formed in the outer peripheral portions 39 and 40 of the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52, respectively (only one in each of FIGS. 5 and 6). (Shown) and these are fitted together.

The plate 4 and the cover 5 are positioned by the hole 42, the convex snap 31, and the concave snap 32. That is, two sets of convex snaps 31 and concave snaps 32
Are formed at positions corresponding to the two holes 42, and both snaps are fitted through the holes 42. More specifically, the projection 31 a of the convex snap 31 is inserted into the hole 42, and the projection 31 a is fitted to the concave snap 32. Therefore, the relative position of the cover 5 with respect to the plate 4 in the horizontal direction with respect to the surface of the plate 4 is restricted. Therefore, there is no backlash. The hole 42 is used for positioning the plate 4 with respect to an assembling device (not shown) even when the plate 4 and the stay 2 are assembled. That is, one set of holes 42 is used for positioning in two different assembly steps. Therefore, the plate 4 has a small number of holes and a simple shape as compared with the case where positioning holes are separately formed in each assembling process.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the convex snap 31
A stepped portion 31b (stepped portion) is formed around the protrusion 31a. A substantially flat flat-shaped portion 32a (flat-shaped portion) is formed at the tip of the concave snap 32. When the cover 5 is arranged on the plate 4, the stepped portion 31b and the flat-shaped portion 32a can contact the peripheral portions of the hole 42 on both surfaces of the plate 4, respectively. That is, the step portion 31b and the flat portion 32a have a structure in which the plate 4 is sandwiched from both sides. Therefore, the cover 5 is
The position in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate 4 is restricted. Therefore, there is no backlash. Furthermore, the stepped portion 31b has a protruding portion 31a.
7 has a taper shape that inclines downward as shown in FIG. That is, the surface of the step portion 31b that comes into contact with the plate 4 has a shape inclined with respect to the surface of the plate 4. Due to this tapered shape, the difference in the thickness of the plate 4 can be absorbed, so that the cover 5 can be stably arranged even for the plates 4 having different thicknesses.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, a convex frame 43 (convex frame) is formed on the front cover 51 along the outer peripheral portion 39. A concave frame 44 (concave frame) is formed on the rear cover 52 along the outer peripheral portion 40. When the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 are combined, the convex frame 43 and the concave frame 44 are fitted together. Therefore, the gap between the outer peripheral portion 39 and the outer peripheral portion 40 is eliminated. As described above, the headrest device 1 forms the pad 6 by foaming urethane after assembling the cover 5.
Since there is no gap between the outer peripheral portion 39 and the outer peripheral portion 40,
It prevents urethane from entering the cover 5 when the pad 6 is formed. As another embodiment, the front cover 51
Although it is conceivable to form a concave frame 44 on the rear cover 52 and a convex frame 43 on the rear cover 52, the illustration is omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 have ribs 45 at substantially the center in the width direction thereof.
46 is formed. When the cover 5 is arranged on the movable member 7, the ribs 45 and 46 are structured to engage with the lateral support rod portion 21 of the stay 2. That is, the rib 45,
Since the structure 46 holds the lateral support rod portion 21 in the vehicle front-rear direction, the cover 5 can stably hold the stay 2.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 have a U-shape for passing the two vertical support rod portions 22 in the lower portion shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Notches 47, 48
Are formed respectively. When the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 are combined, the notches 47 and 48 form one elongated hole. The notches 47 and 48 both have a shape extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle (the vertical direction of the paper surface of FIGS. 5 and 6) by a predetermined amount. Therefore, the vertical support rod portion 22 is cut into the notches 47 and 48. A space is formed inside which is movable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the cover 5 has its lower portion (the lower portion shown in FIG. 1) centered on the lateral support rod portion 21.
Can swing with respect to the stay 2.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 are provided with two portions at the portions which come into contact with the vertical support rod portions 22.
Two bag-shaped portions 49 and 50 (contact portions) are formed respectively. Both the bag-shaped portions 49 and 50 have a shape that swells inwardly of the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52, and the portion that abuts the vertical support rod portion 22 is substantially flat. And
When the bag-shaped portions 49 and 50 contact the vertical support rod portion 22, the swing range of the cover 5 with respect to the stay 2 is restricted. Further, the bag-shaped portions 49, 50 are in contact with the vertical support rod portion 22 at their flat portions, so that their swinging regulation force is sufficiently secured.

Next, the operation of the headrest device 1 will be described. The headrest device 1 includes a plate 4 and a cover 5 when an occupant operates the headrest body 3.
Also, the pad 6 integrally swings around the lateral support rod portion 21. Then, the position of the headrest device 3 can be adjusted. At this time, the cover 5 has ribs 45, 46.
Slides on the lateral support rod portion 21. This sliding makes the swing of the cover 5 stable. After adjustment,
The position of the headrest body 3 is regulated by the frictional force of the plate 4 on the lateral support rod portion 21.

As described above, the cover 5 of the headrest device 3 of the present embodiment is made of resin, but the advantages as compared with those of metal are as follows. (1) The weight of the headrest body 3 is reduced, and the operability is improved.
(2) The shapes of the convex frame 43, the concave frame 44 and the like can be easily formed, and the adhesion between the front cover 51 and the rear cover 52 is improved. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the urethane of the pad 6 from mixing into the cover 5. (3) Even if the bag-shaped portions 49, 50 and the vertical support rod portion 22 come into contact with each other, the generation of abnormal noise is small. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide another member for preventing abnormal noise.

[0030]

According to the present invention, the cover is molded separately from the plate and the stay and then fixed to the plate and the stay. Therefore, it is unnecessary to remove the mold for forming the space of the cover along the vertical support bar after fixing. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a headrest device in which the vertical support rod portion is bent, and the versatility thereof is improved.

According to the present invention, the cover is disposed from the lateral support rod portion to the seat back side, that is, the vehicle lower side. Therefore, the head of the occupant is mainly supported by the lateral support rod portion which is a rigid body. Therefore, the supporting force becomes stable.

According to the present invention, since the cover can be handled as an integral body, the assembly process can be simplified.

According to the present invention, the hermeticity of the outer peripheral portions of the first cover and the second cover is improved. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the cover after the cover is assembled.
This is useful in the step of molding the urethane pad after disposing the cover on the stay or the like. That is, urethane is prevented from entering the cover, and the operation of the headrest device becomes stable.

According to the present invention, the relative positions of the plate and the cover are regulated by the simple structure of the hole and the connecting pin. Therefore, there is no backlash. Further, the shape of the connecting pin allows the cover to be fixed to plates having different thicknesses.

According to the present invention, the rib of the cover engages with the lateral support rod portion. Therefore, the relative position of the cover and the lateral support rod portion is regulated, and the backlash is eliminated. Further, the sliding of the rib on the lateral support rod portion causes the cover to swing about the lateral support rod portion. Therefore, the swing becomes stable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state in which a headrest device according to the present invention is arranged in a seat back.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an assembled state of a stay and a plate of the headrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an assembled state of a stay, a plate and a cover of the headrest device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view of the headrest device according to the present invention as viewed from the outside with the cover expanded, showing a half of the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 5 is a view of the front cover of the cover of the headrest device according to the present invention as viewed from the inside, showing a half in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 6 is a view of the back cover of the headrest device according to the present invention seen from the inside, showing a half in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5 (a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA taken in a direction perpendicular to a plane on which a convex snap portion of the front cover is formed).

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 6 (a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the concave snap portion of the rear cover is formed).

9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5 (a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB taken in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the vertical support rod portion and the horizontal support rod portion). .

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 6 (DD
Is a cross-sectional view when cut in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the vertical support rod portion and the horizontal support rod portion).

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Headrest device 2 stay 4 plates 5 cover 10 seat back 21 Horizontal support bar 22 Vertical support bar 31 Convex snap (first connecting pin) 31b step 32 recessed snap (second connecting pin) 32a flat shape 42 holes 43 convex frame 44 concave frame 45,46 ribs 49, 50 Bag-shaped part (contact part) 51 Front cover (first cover) 52 Rear cover (second cover) 53 Hinge part (coupling part)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A stay comprising a pair of vertical support rod portions supported by a seat back and a horizontal support rod portion connecting the vertical support rod portions, and a horizontal friction holding member for holding a predetermined frictional force on the horizontal support rod portions. And a plate that is fixed so that it can swing, and that is molded separately from the plate by a resin material and then fixed to the plate and covers at least a part of the plate and the stay, and moves the vertical support rod portion. A headrest device comprising: a cover having a space that allows 2. The headrest device according to claim 1, wherein the plate is disposed on the seat back side from the lateral support rod portion. 3. The headrest device according to claim 1, wherein the cover includes an abutting portion that abuts on the stay and restricts swinging of the cover with respect to the stay. 4. The cover includes a first cover, a second cover, and a linking portion that rotatably links the first cover and the second cover, and the first cover and the second cover. The headrest device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the headrest device sandwiches the stay and the plate. 5. A convex frame formed along the outer circumference of one of the first cover and the second cover, and a convex frame formed along the outer circumference of the other of the first cover and the second cover. The headrest device according to claim 4, further comprising a concave frame that can be fitted with the convex frame. 6. The plate includes a hole, the first cover includes a first connecting pin that is inserted into the hole, and the second cover includes a second connecting pin that can be fitted to the first connecting pin. The headrest device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: 7. A flat shape in which the first connecting pin includes a step portion capable of abutting on the plate surface around the hole portion, and the second connecting pin abutting on the plate rear surface around the hole portion. 7. The headrest device according to claim 6, further comprising a portion, wherein the plate is sandwiched between the step portion and the flat-shaped portion. 8. The headrest device according to claim 7, wherein the contact surface of the step portion is inclined with respect to the surface of the plate. 9. The headrest device according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the first cover and the second cover includes a rib that engages with the lateral support rod portion.