JPH06141949A - Angle adjusting mechanism for arm rest - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the flexibility in use of an arm rest angle adjusting mechanism and at the same time make the microadjustment of a set angle possible. CONSTITUTION:An arm rest angle adjusting mechanism 10 is formed by being equipped with lock means 14 (14-1, 14-2) to regulate the turning of a support shaft 12, and is unitized beforehand by means of a unit base 20 and a unit cover 22. The arm rest angle adjusting mechanism 10 is put inside a seat back 16, and an arm rest 18 is fitted to the extension portion of the support shaft 12 extended out of a unit main body 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an armrest angle adjusting mechanism for supporting an armrest rotatably mounted on a side of a seatback so that an angle can be adjusted with respect to the seatback.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to keep a seated person in a comfortable posture, a so-called seat with an armist provided with an armrest on which a seated person's elbow is placed on the side of a seat back is provided as a seat for an automobile or the like. Then, as such a seat armrest, for example, a configuration including an angle adjusting mechanism that supports the set angle of the armrest with respect to the seatback is adjustable according to the reclining angle of the seatback or the preference of the seated person. ing.

As a mechanism for adjusting the angle of the armrest, for example, a structure provided with a ratchet type locking means having a lock gear consisting of a plurality of teeth and a locking pawl capable of meshing with the teeth under a biasing force is well known. ing.

In such a structure, under the pulling-up operation from the lowermost stage, the engagement position of the lock claw with the lock gear, that is, the lock position is sequentially moved to an angle corresponding to the lock position of the lock means. The angle of the armrest with respect to the seat back is set in stages.

[0005]

Here, in the known structure, the armrest is rotatably attached to, for example, a support shaft extending to the left and right sides of the seat back, and the set angle of the armrest with respect to the support shaft is set. Adjustable, the angle adjustment mechanism is built into the armrest.

However, in the known structure in which the angle adjusting mechanism is built in the armrest, it is necessary to secure a sufficient space for accommodating the angle adjusting mechanism inside the armrest, so that the armrest is prevented from becoming large. Absent.

The size and shape of the armrest are limited by securing the storage space in the armrest. Therefore, the shape of the armrest or the like corresponding to the shape of the seat cannot be easily obtained, and the aesthetic appearance of the seat may be impaired.

Here, there is also known a configuration in which the shapes and arrangements of the various members of the angle adjusting mechanism are changed according to the size and shape of the armrest, but in such a configuration, different vehicle types are used. Is inferior in commonality and the versatility of the angle adjustment mechanism and the armrest itself is reduced, which is not preferable.

By the way, in the known construction, the set angle of the armrest is adjusted according to the pitch of the teeth of the lock gear. However, the armrest is only supported under the engagement between the lock gear and the lock claw, and the load applied to the armrest by a seated person or the like tends to concentrate between the lock gear and the lock claw, so the reason for securing the strength of the lock gear is As a result, the tooth pitch of the lock gear cannot be made sufficiently small,

Therefore, the set angle of the armrest tends to be large, and fine adjustment of the angle of the armrest according to the reclining angle of the seat back cannot be sufficiently obtained.

An object of the present invention is to provide an angle adjusting mechanism for an armrest which improves versatility and enables fine adjustment of a set angle.

[0012]

To achieve this object, according to the present invention, an angle adjusting mechanism for an armrest is supported by a unit base fixed to a mounting member and a support pivotally supported by the unit base. It is unitized in advance with a shaft and lock means for restricting the rotation of the support shaft and setting the angle stepwise.

The angle adjusting mechanism is built in at least one of the left and right sides of the seat back, and the armrest is integrally formed with the extending portion of the support shaft extending from the unit body based on the unit base. It is rotatably attached.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 according to the present invention includes a support shaft 12,
The lock means 14 (14-1, 14-2) is provided, and the set angle of the armrest 18 with respect to the seatback 16 centering around the support shaft can be adjusted. As can be seen from FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. 1, the armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 of the present invention is unitized in advance by the unit base 20 and the unit cover 22, and at least one of the left and right sides of the seatback 16 is formed. It is built into the side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the armrest 18 is provided, for example, between a use position indicated by a solid line substantially horizontally with respect to a floor surface such as a vehicle floor and a flip-up position indicated by a chain line substantially parallel to the seat back 16. The armrest is provided so as to be swingable between the seatbacks, and the set angle of the armrest with respect to the seatback can be adjusted between a substantially horizontal position indicated by a solid line and a lowermost position indicated by a chain double-dashed line.

In such a structure, the flip-up position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2 becomes the retracted position of the armrest 18, and the seated person can get on and off at the retracted position.

As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4 to 7, the unit base 20 and the unit cover 22 are formed, for example, with a pair of through holes 24 and 25 aligned with each other, and collars 28 and 29, respectively. The support shaft 12 is erected and rotatably supported between the unit base and the unit cover by continuous insertion through the pair of insertion holes via the.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the support shaft 12
Is, for example, steps 12a-12c and a small diameter support end 12d.
The support end and the stepped portion 12b are rotatably supported by the collars 28 and 29 of the insertion holes, respectively.

According to the armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 of the present invention, the unit base 20 and the unit cover are provided.
The rotation of the support shaft 12 with respect to the unit body 30 composed of 22 can be restricted by the locking means 14 (14-1, 14-2).

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the locking means 14
Is formed to have a lock gear 32 and a lock claw 34, and the lock means having the same configuration is the lock means 14-1 on the first side,
The locking means 14-2 on the second side is provided at each position. First and second locking means 14 (14-1, 14-
The lock gear 32 of 2) has a plurality of tooth portions, for example,
The gear plates 36 are formed at predetermined positions continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the gear plate 36 which is rotatable integrally with the support shaft 12.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stepped portion 12 of the support shaft.
For example, b is formed in a non-circular detent shape, and the support shaft 12 and the gear plate 36 are integrally rotated by inserting the stepped portion 12b into the corresponding non-circular detent shape insertion hole 38. Connected as possible. The shapes of the stepped portion 12b of the support shaft and the insertion hole 38 of the gear plate are not limited to the shapes shown in the drawings, as long as they have a corresponding non-circular shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lock claws 34 of the locking means 14-1 and 14-2 on the first and second sides are arranged facing the lock gear 32 of the gear plate, respectively. . As can be seen from FIG. 4 in addition to FIG. 1, the lock claw 34 is formed, for example, integrally with a hollow spacer 40 and is fixed to the base plate 20 by a support pin 42.
Is rotatably supported by.

Here, such locking means 14 (14-1, 14
-2) is, for example, formed into a ratchet type in which the lock claw 34 is engaged with the lock gear 32 under the biasing force of the biasing means 44. As the biasing means 44, for example, a torsion spring wound around the lock claw spacer 40 can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, in such a structure, one end of the torsion spring (biasing means) 44 is engaged with the base bracket 20 and the other end is engaged with the lock pawl 34, respectively, and the torsion spring is biased. The force acts on the lock claw as a turning force in a direction of meshing with the lock gear 32.

According to the ratchet type locking means 14 (14-1, 14-2) having the construction as shown, the rotation of the gear plate 36 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Is blocked under the engagement of.

The ratchet type locking means 14 (14-1,
The configuration itself of 14-2) is publicly known, and the configuration and the operation thereof are not the purpose of the present invention, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the unit base
An engagement pin 46 is fixed to 20 and is loosely inserted in a guide hole 48 formed in the gear plate 36. The guide hole 48 is formed on, for example, an arc centered on the support shaft 12, and is fixed to the support shaft 12 as will be described later.
The oscillating range of 18 is formed in a range that can be defined between the lowermost position and the flip-up position.

Here, the gear plate 36, that is, the support shaft 12 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 1 under the biasing force of the biasing means 50. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, for example, a torsion spring wound around the step portion 12a of the support shaft can be used as the biasing means 50. One end of the torsion spring is the engaging pin 46 and the other end is the gear plate. Each of the 36 locking pins 52 is locked.

In such a structure, the gear plate 36 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 under the biasing force of the torsion spring (biasing means) 50, so that the lock gear 32 and the lock claw 34 are firmly meshed with each other. can get.

Adjacent to the gear plate 36 is a support plate 58 having a through hole 54 into which the stepped portion 12 of the support shaft can be loosely inserted, and a notch 56 into which the engaging pin 46 can be loosely inserted and engaged. Is provided. The support plate 58 includes engaging pieces 60 (60-1, 60-, 60-, 60-, which can be engaged with the first and second lock claws 34.
2) is formed at each corresponding position, and the lock claw is locked by the engagement of the engagement piece and the lock claw.
It is configured to lock away from 32.

Here, the support plate 58 is a biasing means.
It is pressed against the gear plate 36 under the biasing force of 62. As the biasing means 62, for example, a compression coil spring can be used, and the compression coil spring is interposed between the support plate 58 and the so-called C ring 66 fitted to the support shaft 12 via the washer 64.

In such a configuration, the support plate 58
Is pressed against the gear plate 36 under the biasing force of the compression coil spring (biasing means) 62, the gear plate tries to rotate in synchronization with the support plate under the frictional force.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the gear plate 36 is formed, for example, with a stopper piece 68 protruding on the outer periphery, and a cushion member engageable with the stopper piece.
A holding member 70 and a holding member 72 are attached to the base bracket 20 at corresponding positions.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 4, an elastic body made of synthetic rubber or the like can be used as the cushion member 70, and the elastic body is supported by a bracket 74. The cushion member 70 is arranged, for example, at a position where it can be engaged with the stopper piece 68 at the maximum pull-out position of the armrest 18 shown in FIG.

With such a structure, the shock when the armrest 18 reaches the lowermost position is buffered by the elasticity of the cushion member 70.

Further, the holding member 72 is formed by bending with a recess 72a that can be engaged with the stopper piece 68, for example, from an elastic material such as a leaf spring, so that it can be engaged with the stopper piece 78 of the gear plate. Thus, the holding means is disposed at the flip-up position of the armrest 18, that is, at the position where it can be held at the retracted position (see FIG. 9).

According to this structure, the armrest 18
However, since it is held in the storage position under the engagement force between the stopper piece 78 of the gear plate and the holding member 72, it is possible to sufficiently prevent the armrest from fluttering at the storage position, unexpected rotation, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the unit base
Unit cover each member mounted based on 20
The armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 is unitized by covering with 22 and caulking the extended end of the support pin 42. The unitized armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 is built in on the left and right sides of the seatback 16 with the side brackets 75 and the like of the seatback 16 as mounting members.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the unit main body
A joint bracket 76 is integrally and rotatably connected to an extending portion of the support shaft 12 extending from 30.
The armrest 18 is attached to the support shaft 12, that is, the angle adjusting mechanism 10 via the joint bracket 76.

As can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 7, the step portion 12c of the support shaft and the insertion hole 78 of the joint bracket 76 are provided.
Are each formed in a corresponding non-circular detent shape, and the joint bracket is rotatable integrally with the support shaft under the detent shape.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the joint bracket 76 is, for example, formed by bending into a shape having four engaging claws 76a, and is inserted into the corresponding insertion hole 82 provided in the armrest body 80. The joint bracket and the armrest body are connected by.

The armrest body 80 is formed, for example, by a combination of the upper frame 84 and the lower frame 86, and the inside of the armrest body is usually hollow.

Then, the bush 90 is inserted around the step portion 12c of the support shaft from the outer insertion hole 88 of the armrest body 80, and the nut 94 is screwed onto the thread portion 96 of the support shaft via the washer 92. Then, the armrest body is attached to the support shaft 12.

Here, in the armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 of the present invention, the locking means 14-1 on the first side and the locking means 14-2 on the second side mutually occupy 1/2 of the teeth of the lock gear 32. It is set to be offset by the pitch. That is,
The first and second locking means 14-1 and 14-2 are the gear plate 36.
It is configured to be repeatedly and alternately locked under the rotation of.

The armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 having the above-described structure operates as follows.

For example, assume that the lowermost position shown in FIG. 1 is the initial position of the armrest 18. At the lowermost position of the armrest 18, first, the lock claw 34 of the first side 14-1.
However, under the biasing force, it is meshed with the first stage of the lock gear 32,
The lock claw on the second side 14-2 is held in a disengaged state by the engagement piece 60-2 of the support plate.

From this state, when the armrest 18 is pulled up and the gear plate 36 rotates together with the support shaft 12 by a half pitch of the lock gear 32, as shown in FIG.
As shown in 0, the lock claw 34 of the second side 14-2 is engaged with the corresponding first step of the lock gear, and the set angle of the armrest 18 with respect to the seat back 16 is changed to the next step position.

When the armrest 18 is further pulled up, the lock claw 34 of the first side 14-1 is then meshed with the second step of the corresponding lock gear 32, and the armrest is set at the corresponding angle.

As described above, under the operation of pulling up the armrest 18, the locking means 14 (1
4-1 and 14-2) are repeatedly locked and unlocked, and the angle of the armrest with respect to the seat back 16 is sequentially set.

Then, when the armrest 18 is further pulled up and swung to the flip-up position where the peripheral edge of the guide hole 48 and the engagement pin 46 are engaged, as shown in FIG. By engaging with the holding member 72, the gear plate 36, that is, the armrest is held in the flipped-up position and stored.

Further, if the armrest 18 is pushed forward (left in the figure) from the flipped-up position under the pushing force against the holding force of the holding means 72, the armrest will reach the maximum position shown in FIG. It is pulled out to the pull-out position.

As shown in FIG. 8, in such a state, each of the lock claws 34 on the first and second sides has a corresponding engaging piece 60 (60-1, 60-2) of the support plate 58. Since the lock claw and the lock gear are not meshed with each other, the armrest is swung up to the maximum withdrawn position where the engagement pin is engaged with the peripheral edge of the guide hole of the gear plate.

When the armrest 18 is pulled upward from the maximum withdrawn position, the locking means 14 (14-1, 14-2) on the first side and the second side are sequentially locked, and the armrest with respect to the seatback 16 is locked. The setting angle of is adjusted.

As described above, the armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 according to the present invention includes the unit base 20 and the unit cover.
It is unitized in advance by 22 and built in the seat back 16.

Therefore, unlike the known structure in which the angle adjusting mechanism is arranged inside the armrest main body 80, there is no need to secure a storage space for the angle adjusting mechanism inside the armrest 18, and the size and shape of the armrest can be freely set. Can be formed into Therefore, the armrest 18 can be sufficiently miniaturized, and the armrest can be sufficiently designed according to the shape of the seat, etc., and the overall aesthetics of the seat can be improved.

The unitized angle adjusting mechanism 10
Since it suffices to fix the armrest 18 to the support shaft 12, the common angle adjusting mechanism can be sufficiently used even for different vehicle types, differently shaped armrests, and the like. Therefore, the armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 can be commonly used, and the versatility of the armrest and the angle adjusting mechanism is surely improved.

Here, in the embodiment, the locking means 14
, The first side 14-1 and the second side 14-2 are divided into two sets, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the armrest angle adjusting mechanism is configured to have only one set of locking means.
10 may be formed.

However, the locking means 14 is attached to the first side.
If it is divided into 14-1 and the second side 14-2, the set angle of the armrest 18 can be made sufficiently small even if the lock gear 32 of the locking means on one side is formed relatively thick.

Therefore, fine adjustment of the set angle of the armrest 18 by the armrest angle adjusting mechanism 10 can be sufficiently obtained without lowering the strength of the lock gear 32.

Further, the lock gears 32 of the locking means 14 (14-1, 14-2) are respectively formed at the separated positions of the same gear plate 36, but the invention is not limited to this, and for example,
They may be formed on separate gear plates. However, if the lock gears 32 on the first side and the second side are provided on the same gear plate 36, an increase in the number of parts can be prevented, so that the configuration is not complicated.

Although the armrest angle adjusting mechanism of the present invention is suitable for an armrest of a vehicle seat, the invention is not limited to this. For example, a seat of a train, an airplane, a ship, a conference room, a relaxing seat, or the like. It can also be applied to seats.

The above-mentioned embodiments are for explaining the present invention and do not limit the present invention in any way.
It goes without saying that the present invention includes all those which are modified or modified within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0064]

As described above, according to the angle adjusting mechanism of the armrest according to the present invention, the support shaft, which is unitized in advance on the basis of the unit base, is built in the seat back and extends from the unit main body. An armrest is attached to the extension. Therefore, the size and shape of the armrest can be freely formed, and the size of the armrest can be sufficiently reduced.Also, it is possible to fully design the armrest according to the shape of the seat, and the overall aesthetic appearance of the seat. Is improved.

Since it suffices to fix the armrest to the support shaft of the unitized angle adjusting mechanism, the common angle adjusting mechanism can be sufficiently used even for different vehicle types, differently shaped armrests, and the like. Therefore, the angle adjustment mechanism of the armrest and the armrest itself can be shared, and the versatility of the armrest and the angle adjustment mechanism is surely improved.

Further, if the locking means is divided into the first side and the second side, the set angle of the armrest can be made sufficiently small even if the lock gear on one side is formed relatively thick. Therefore, fine adjustment of the set angle of the armrest can be sufficiently obtained without lowering the strength of the lock gear.

If the first side lock gear and the second side lock gear are formed on the same gear plate, the number of parts does not increase and the structure does not become complicated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an armrest angle adjusting mechanism according to the present invention at the lowest lock stage.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a seat on which an armrest is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an angle adjusting mechanism of an armrest.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an armrest angle adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an armrest angle adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an armrest angle adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an armrest angle adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 8 is an operation view similar to FIG. 1 of the armrest angle adjusting mechanism in the maximum retracted position of the armrest.

FIG. 9 is an operation diagram similar to FIG. 1 of the armrest angle adjusting mechanism in the flipped-up position of the armrest.

FIG. 10 is an operational view similar to FIG. 1 of the armrest angle adjustment mechanism in an arbitrary locked position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Angle adjustment mechanism for armrest 12 Support shaft 14 Locking means 14-1 Locking means for 1st side 14-2 Locking means for 2nd side 16 Seat back 18 Armrest 20 Unit base 22 Unit cover 30 Unit body 32 Lock gear 34 Lock claw 36 Gear plate 44 Biasing means (torsion spring) 58 Support plate 60 (60-1, 60-2) Engaging piece 75 Side bracket (mounting member)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A unit base fixed to a mounting member in an angle adjustment mechanism of an armrest for supporting an armrest rotatably mounted on a side of a seat back so that an angle can be adjusted with respect to the seat back; A support shaft that is pivotally supported with respect to; a locking means that regulates the rotation of the support shaft to set the angle stepwise;
It is unitized in advance and is built into at least one of the left and right sides of the seat back, and the armrest is integrated with the extension part of the support shaft extending from the unit main body based on the unit base. An armrest angle adjusting mechanism, which is rotatably attached to the armrest. 2. A ratchet system in which the locking means includes a lock gear composed of a plurality of teeth, a locking pawl engageable with the teeth, and a biasing means for biasing the locking pawl in an engagement direction with the locking gear. The locking means having the same structure is divided into a first side and a second side, and two sets are provided, and one locking position of the first and second sides is changed from the other locking position to the tooth portion of the lock gear. The armrest angle adjusting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the angle adjustment mechanism is set to be shifted by 1/2 pitch. 3. The armrest according to claim 1, wherein the lock gears on the first and second sides of the lock means are formed separately from the outer peripheral surface of a common gear plate which is rotatable integrally with the support shaft. Angle adjustment mechanism.