SIDE BOLSTER TILTING SYSTEM OF VEHICULAR SEAT CUSHION

Abstract

A side bolster tilting system of a vehicular seat cushion is provided where a worm portion formed on a rotation shaft of a motor is meshed with a worm gear provided to a female threaded tubular shaft in a lower space of a side bolster, a screw shaft engaged to a lifting member in an idling mode is threaded to an upper portion of the female threaded tubular shaft so that the screw shaft is moved up and down by forward or reverse rotation of the female threaded tubular shaft, and an upper portion of the lifting member is fixed to a support plate for supporting the side bolster. By operation of the motor, the side bolster is moved up and down to provide a driver with convenience when the driver gets on or off, and a leather portion of the side bolster is prevented from being worn out.

Claims

1. A side bolster tilting system of a vehicular seat cushion, wherein a motor (9) is mounted to a frame (8) by a bracket (9-1) in a lower space of a side bolster (10) provided to one side of a seat cushion (20); a female threaded tubular shaft (5) is provided with a worm gear (5-2) which is meshed with a worm portion (5-3) formed on a rotation shaft of the motor (9), so that a rotating force of the rotation shaft of the motor is transmitted to the female threaded tubular shaft (5); a screw shaft (5-1) which is engaged to a lifting member (4) in an idling mode is fastened to the female threaded tubular shaft (5), with the lifting member being fixed to a support plate (3) for supporting the side bolster (10), so that the side bolster (10) is moved up or down by forward or reverse rotation of the female threaded tubular shaft (5); and the lifting member (4) is supported by a guide (2) to stably move the side bolster (10).

2. The side bolster tilting system of the vehicular seat cushion according to claim 1, wherein the side bolster is detachably provided to one side of the seat cushion.

3. The side bolster tilting system of the vehicular seat cushion according to claim 1, wherein a bevel gear is interposed between a speed reducer (7) and the female threaded tubular shaft (5).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a seat equipped with a side bolster tilting system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the side bolster tilting system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a seat cushion equipped with the side bolster tilting system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state in which the side bolster is moved up according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a state in which the side bolster is moved down according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a power transmission structure for the side bolster tilting system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a power transmission structure for the side bolster tilting system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] In a side bolster tilting system of a vehicular seat cushion according one embodiment of the present invention, a motor 9 is mounted to a frame 8 by a bracket 9-1 in a lower space of a side bolster 10 provided to one side of a seat cushion 20.

[0027] A rotation shaft of the motor 9 is provided with a worm portion 5-3 to transmit a rotating force to a female threaded tubular shaft 5 which is installed in a direction perpendicular to a rotating direction of the rotation shaft of the motor 9, and the lower portion of the female threaded tubular shaft 5 is provided with a worm gear 5-2, thereby transmitting the rotation of the motor to the female threaded tubular shaft 5.

[0028] An upper portion of the female threaded tubular shaft 5 is fastened to a screw shaft 5-1 which is engaged to a lifting member 4 in an idling mode, so that the lifting member 4 is operated by forward or reverse rotation of the female threaded tubular shaft 5.

[0029] An upper portion of the lifting member 4 is fixed to a support plate 3 for supporting the side bolster to move the support plate 3 up and down, and a side of the lifting member is guided and supported by a guide 6.

[0030] In addition, the rotation shaft of the motor 9 is provided with a speed reducer 7 for reducing a speed of the rotation shaft, and since the speed reducer 7 has a general configuration, the detailed description thereof will be omitted herein. A rotation shaft of the speed reducer and the female threaded tubular shaft 5 employ the bevel gear to change the rotating direction, other means can be employed.

[0031] The side bolster tilting system 1 is configured in such a way that the upper portion of the female threaded tubular shaft 5 is meshed with the screw shaft 5-1 which is engaged to the lifting member 4 in the idling mode, the upper portion of the lifting member 4 is fixed to the support plate 3 for supporting the side bolster, and the side of the lifting member is supported by the guide 6 to be moved up and down.

[0032] The motor 9 of the side bolster tilting system 1 may be rotated forwardly or reversely according to a signal of a sensor which detects a signal generated when a vehicular door is opened or closed, or may be manually operated by a separate switch (not illustrated).

[0033] The operation of the side bolster tilting system 1 of the vehicular seat cushion according to the embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail.

[0034] With the configuration of the side bolster tilting system 1 of the vehicular seat cushion according to the embodiment of the present invention, the motor 9 can be manually operated by the separate switch (not illustrated), or can be operated by the signal of the sensor (not illustrated) which detects the signal generated when the door is opened or closed. Hereinafter, the case where the side bolster tilting system is operated by the signal of the sensor will be described.

[0035] Specifically, the rotation shaft is rotated forwardly or reversely by the motor 9 which is operated by the sensor detecting the opening or closing motion of the door. When the door is opened, the motor 9 is operated to rotate the rotation shaft and the worm portion 5-3 formed on the rotation shaft in the forward direction, to transmit the rotation to the worm gear 5-2 formed on the lower portion of the female threaded tubular shaft 5 which is meshed with the worm portion 5-3, thereby forwardly rotating the female threaded tubular shaft 5.

[0036] The screw shaft 5-1 fastened to the female threaded tubular shaft 5 enters the inside of the female threaded tubular shaft 5, so that the lifting member 4 engaged to the upper portion of the screw shaft 5-1 in the idling mode is moved down together with the screw shaft 5-1.

[0037] If the lifting member 4 is moved down, the support plate 3, to which the lifting member is fixed, for supporting the side bolster is moved down with the side bolster 10. Since the side of the lifting member 4 is guided by the guide 6, the side bolster 10 can be stably moved down. When a driver gets off in the state in which the side bolster is moved down, it is possible to prevent hips or a lower body of the driver from pressing the side bolster or coming into contact with the side bolster, thereby preventing the leather of the side bolster from being worn out and providing the driver with comfortability while riding the car.

[0038] When the driver takes a seat and closes the door, the motor 9 is rotated reversely, and thus the worm portion 5-3 formed on the rotation shaft of the motor 9 transmits the rotation to the worm gear 5-2 provided to the lower portion of the female threaded tubular shaft 5, so that the female threaded tubular shaft 5 is reversely rotated.

[0039] Thus, the screw shaft 5-1 fastened to the female threaded tubular shaft 5 gets out from the inside of the female threaded tubular shaft 5, so that the lifting member 4 engaged to the upper portion of the screw shaft 5-1 in the idling mode is moved up.

[0040] If the lifting member 4 is moved up, the support plate 3, to which the lifting member 4 is fixed, for supporting the side bolster is moved up with the side bolster 10. Since the side of the lifting member 4 is guided by the guide 6, the side bolster 10 can be stably moved up. If the side bolster is moved up, the side bolster adheres to the hips and lower body of the driver, thereby providing the driver with the sense of stability.

[0041] Alternatively, when the driver opens or closes the door of the car, the motor 9 operates to forwardly or reversely rotate a bevel gear for changing the rotating direction by the speed reducer 7.

[0042] Thus, the female threaded tubular shaft 5 is forwardly or reversely rotated, and the screw shaft 5-1 fastened to the female threaded tubular shaft 5 comes in or out from the female threaded tubular shaft 5, so that the lifting member 4 fixed to the support plate 3 for supporting the side bolster is also moved down or up. Even when the side bolster operates as described above, the screw shaft 5-1 engaged to the female threaded tubular shaft 5 idles relative to the lifting member 4. Since the side of the lifting member is guided and supported by the guide 6, the side bolster 10 can be stably moved up and down.

[0043] While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.